FF:TSW Convergent Paths
by weyland-yutani
Summary: The Phantom War is over and mankind is on the road to recovery, but a new threat appears. Help arrives in the most unlikely way. Latest chapter, Heretics, is up!
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW and its characters are licensed to Square Pictures. This story is mine.

**Author's note: **Has anyone, as an author, ever gone back over your own works and said to yourself, "Self, I could do better?" Well, I did. Re-reading my own stuff, I did a little revising on "Convergent Paths"; tweaking some things here, shuffling other things there, and in a couple of cases deleted some stuff altogether to make it all flow a bit better. Now, seeing as how Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within fiction has its _own_ section on now (about time, too!), I am re-releasing "Convergent Paths". "Gaia's Gift" will also be here. And the short 3-chapter fic of our favorite couples, Jane/Neil and Eri/Atwood will also be posted here too. Regular readers know what the skinny is with this fiction but it doesn't hurt to re-read an old chestnut, hey? Newbies, enjoy this crossover fic and review if you wish.

**Catalyst**

Space is a vast and lonely place. But out here, near Mars orbit, it seems a little less so. Perhaps the red planet looming nearby lends weight to this illusion. The heavens are not featureless. Bands of interstellar dust glow blue, magenta and violet with stellar radiation and provide a breathtaking background.

Out among the myriad points of light there is a muted reflection, barely noticeable. As it gets closer we can see that it is a spacecraft, sleek and entirely cloaked in flat black, devoid of any obvious markings. Its forward-swept wings lend it the impression of a bird of prey. It is not alone. Accompanying it is a slightly smaller ship of the same design and color. The two thunder past in tight formation, their passage eerily silent as they accelerate around the far side of Mars and vanish among the stars.

Matt Lanier grinned like a fiend. Being the first test pilot to put the Black Phantom through her paces pleased him no end; his brown eyes flicked between the cockpit window and his instruments. Tilting the stick to port, he swept past an outer buoy that marked the midpoint of the test range and was aiming for the next one when the comm crackled.

"Hey hotshot, slow down! This ain't a space race, you know!"

Lanier's grin widened as he glanced to his left, where the nose of the escorting Super Avenger was just visible.

"Now, Atwood, don't tell me you can't keep up! I upgraded those engines myself. Just open her up a bit more. Tell you what…when we get back I'll buy you a beer, even though you're still a couple of weeks away from legal drinking age."

"Yeah, right. Her Nibs probably won't let me out of her sight long enough–"

"I heard that, pilot." This came from the offset seat behind and slightly above Matt, and he didn't have to peek at the small interior rear-view mirror to know that Captain Cheyenne Broderick was probably glaring out at Atwood's ship with those piercing green eyes of hers. Her towering six-foot three-inch frame had been squeezed into the co-pilot/ECM seat for the past two hours, so she was no doubt a wee bit on the cranky side.

"At the very least you should be sure to secure a private channel before speculating on what your commanding officer thinks."

Pursing his lips as he listened to the exchange, Lanier maintained a poker face and concentrated on his flying. A tone sounded…by the Gods, were they already at the outer marker? The engineers back home had done a bang up job on knocking out this beauty of a ship. Armed to the teeth and outfitted with the most powerful engines yet designed, she was the latest design in heavy space superiority combat craft, designed to take on the escalating alien threat in the Frontier. No wonder the other pilots had lamented loud and long when they hadn't been picked.

Throttling back the engines, he opened up communications to his squad mates in the aft compartment, who were monitoring performance data. "Flight trials are almost complete. Looks like she's passed with flying colors. Hughes, what's the word on your end?"

"All green. There was a slight hiccup in the power systems, but I tweaked the software. Bug's gone now."

"Harper?"

A young woman's dulcet voice answered. "Considering we're packing a full weapons load-out, I'd say that this thing is ready to kick some ass. The grease monkeys have done something right for a change."

"You _do_ realize that all information regarding the Black Phantom is being recorded, right? That includes everything you're saying right now."

A muted curse, then: "Ah, damn. _Now _you tell me…"

Chuckling, Lanier wheeled the ship around and orientated on the distant sunward beacon that marked the test range control station; Mars itself was merely a ruddy speck. "We're good to go, ma'am."

The cockpit's second occupant rolled her head as well as her armored flight suit would allow, trying to work out a neck cramp. "About time," she grumped. "Let's head on home, then. Atwood, follow us in and–"

"Wait!" Lanier raised a hand, his body attitude assuming an focused posture. Broderick, who had worked with Matt long enough to know his mannerisms, did not interrupt. He adjusted something on the dash before him before speaking. "Got something here…a transmission on the emergency channel. It's faint, but I'll put it through."

The frantic voice that came through everyone's commlinks was still scratchy even though it had been filtered and enhanced. "…are under attack! Defenses…eutralized. –ife support systems failing! Do you read! Urgen…requested! X–"

It ended in a burst of static. Broderick clenched a fist. "Pinpoint the source of that signal and hustle!" Then, to the rest of her team: "People, we have a slight change of plans…hope you're up for some action."

Lanier's fingers were a blur over the ship's controls. "Hyperdrive powering up, coordinates locked in."

Broderick contacted the range station and gave them a quick rundown on the situation, forwarding the mayday and requesting for any available interceptors to converge on the coordinates. "Get a fire under your ass and punch it!" she snapped tersely before sealing her helmet's face shield shut. Inertial compensators whined, and as the brutal acceleration shoved her back in her seat and the stars distorted into streaks, she gnawed her lower lip, praying that this situation would be resolved quickly.

The interceptor pilot frantically shoved his stick over, but he was too late. A brilliant green bolt struck his ship broadside and a second later both he and his craft were vaporized in an expanding fireball of incandescent gas and debris. Seeing yet another ship meet a fiery fate, Cheyenne's stomach knotted yet again.

Earlier, they had emerged from their brief jump only to find a drifting debris field, all that remained of a corporate mining outpost that lay on just inside the Sol asteroid belt. Scans had revealed nothing. The next moment, other jump points had formed as two wings of reinforcements arrived and together they began a standard search pattern, Atwood leading one squadron and Broderick's Black Phantom spearheading the second. After almost an hour nothing more was found, and they were preparing to depart when one of the pilots reported a new contact very close by.

"It just appeared, captain. I've never seen anything like it. It's paralleling our course…almost seems to be shadowing us."

"Get back here, Parkes."

"Roger."

That was his last transmission before his ship vanished from the scopes; he had become the first casualty of a cloaked alien vessel, which dropped its camouflage right after claiming its first victim. Almost half a kilometer across, the UFO looked partially organic in nature and launched no support craft of its own. Expectations of a brief scuffle took a turn for the worse when it began to unleash formidable firepower, destroying two more ships and crippling a fourth before the two squadrons could rally and return fire. For all they could throw at it–heavy lasers, phase cannon, permeator missiles and enveloping fusion torpedoes–they made nary a dent.

Another explosion formed a brief sun as a fifth ship took it up its six and bought the farm. Broderick was exasperated. "Shit! Have we done _anything _to the damn thing at all?" Lanier had already flushed his exterior missile racks but the aliens kept coming. And as if that weren't enough, the update over the hyperwave commlink wasn't exactly encouraging, either: the nearest reinforcements were en route at maximum speed but would not arrive for another hour.

_Dammit, what kind of shields are they running? We're like gnats to this thing!_

"Superficial damage only, captain...whoops, excuse me..."

Broderick lurched against her flight harness as Lanier corkscrewed into a violent dive. An alien missile flashed by and detonated, its shockwave rocking them and causing Harper to curse a blue streak in the rear bay.

She made a sudden decision and barked an order. "All ships, go under and evasive! You too, Atwood!"

Almost instantly the fighters activated their cloaking generators, winking out from visual and sensor contact alike. The next moment a scintillating sapphire wave swept across the cockpit canopy; the Phantom was now concealed as well. "We have only a few minutes of cloaking available before the genny needs recharging, ma'am."

She nodded, only hearing news with half an ear as she kept a wary eye on their adversary. The UFO had ceased firing and now sat, a monstrous disc, a few kilometers away. Who _was_ running that thing? Ethereals? Grays? An entirely different alien race? All of the remaining interceptor pilots maintained radio silence, but there was no doubt that the bugs were attempting to locate them; she knew that they could not stay hidden forever. Even the nearby asteroid field would offer scant protection, considering the firepower that thing was packing. Trying to remain concealed among rocks the size of flying mountains was almost as lethal as eating a shot from a plasma cannon.

Then an idea formed. "Lanier…get us around their backside. Harper, what's left back there?"

"Checking…hmm…a couple of fusion missiles, phase cannon–well, what have we here?"

"Spit it out, we don't have all day."

The answer held a note of satisfaction. "I'm looking at half a dozen rounds of fusion balls."

"Two minutes' cloaking time remaining," Lanier said softly.

"Load 'em up. Lanier, transfer launcher control and full tactical to me."

"Roger. I'm getting a very strong thermal emissions reading from the aft end. You thinking what I _think _you're thinking?"

Her HUD glowing now, she grinned wolfishly behind her face shield. "Damn right. If anything the engines should be vulnerable. I'm going to shove a couple of fusion balls right up their butts. If we can immobilize that ship, it ain't going nowhere."

The UFO remained centered in the windscreen as they shuffled laterally around it and Broderick's right hand tightened on her joystick's firing stud. She wasn't certain if what was now seeing through her gun sights were the UFO's engine ports or not, but whatever they were they appeared vulnerable and that was plenty good enough for her. Her earpiece crackled and Harper spoke.

"Fusion balls loaded, launcher ready, captain."

_Excellent. _"Lanier, the second I fire get some distance between them and us." She peered intently through her targeting sights, green eyes narrowed.

"Acknowledged."

They slowed, stopped…then they were in position. A steady tone sounded in her earpiece. "Got a lock…shots away!" The button slid into its contact point and then she felt a rumble through the floor panels. A split-second later a blue-white sphere of actinic light two meters across arrowed straight for the alien ship, with a second one right behind it. Lanier didn't wait for the fireworks, instead kicking in full reverse and punching the ventral nose thrusters to stand the ship on her stern. He rolled them around and switched to afterburners as they raced out of the detonation zone just as the cloaking generator flat lined.

Eagerly, Broderick switched to the rearward-facing viewer, for she expected to soon see her target drifting helplessly. Well, almost helpless–the bastards still had their weapons, but she could call in some heavily armored frigates to surgically knock out their point defenses.

The moment their cloak dropped, the aliens detected them, wheeling around and lumbering after them. Green fire erupted from several cannon emplacements, and Lanier had to fly an unpredictable pattern indeed to keep his tail feathers from getting scorched. Meanwhile, released from its containment field, the first high-density, ultra-high temperature plasma ball chewed through the UFO's aft shields and partially dissipated. The second one passed through unhindered and impacted directly against the ship, twisting up the gray and green plates and odd tendril-like growths. Gouts of gas and a cloud of fragments trailed the huge craft. It slowed, gunfire dwindling, and Cheyenne cut loose with a whoop. She deactivated her HUD and opened her face shield, exhaling hugely. "All right…all ships, decloak and form up. I want status reports, by the numbers. Assume a pincer formation and flank that UFO at safe distance. Harper and Hughes, you guys still with me?"

A pair of affirmatives eased her mind.

"Atwood? Where are you?"

A worrisome moment of silence, and then a black fighter fell in beside them. Behind it the other Super Avengers and Firestars were sliding into formation as they complied with her orders. "Reporting, captain."

"What's your status?"

"Nothing that can't be hammered out. What now?"

Broderick grinned. "I'm of a mind to call in a cruiser to take it out completely, but I don't feel like hearing the GSC scientists bitch about the wealth of information that got shot up. Besides, something that big has got to be toting a considerable fuel load and you know what our friends use for that. The main drives are down now…after her weapons are disabled it the salvage ships can towed it the nearest base. That should keep both the brass and the lab boys happy. Stand by, I'm going to contact Central Command."

The interceptors split into two groups and positioned themselves on either side of the crippled alien ship, taking the utmost care to stay out of its weapons range. The Firestar that had taken a glancing hit early on during the scuffle was ordered back to base, and as its engines scratched a trail into hyperspace Broderick again turned her full attention to the UFO, which was creeping along at a snail's pace now. She peered closer. Why was it still moving? She frowned and she began to get a nagging sensation something wasn't right here…

"Lanier, what's the reading on that thing?" she asked. The bridge of her nose itched, and she scratched it.

The computer squawked. Lanier checked it and was silent for a moment too long. "This can't be right."

"What?"

"Power level readings are going up…their mains just went back on-line! Looks like energy is being dumped to the drives. They're preparing for a hyperjump, I'd say."

Broderick clutched her firing controls. "No! We've got to keep them here!" She opened up her command link. "All ships…whoever has any torps left, target anything that looks like a propulsion system! We can't afford to let them!"

The interceptors wove intricate trails and again were met with alien fire. More munitions flew, some exploding upon impact with the shields while other missiles managed to blow destroy more hull plating. In the middle of this madness Lanier skillfully slid and wove towards the UFO's backside again, and Atwood gave supporting fire as Broderick calmly readied another fusion ball round, ignoring the scene outside as it twisted and rolled in a most gut-wrenching manner. She brought her HUD up again and increased pressure on the joystick's button as they entered weapons range. The lock tone filled the cockpit.

"Shot away!" she crowed as the third fusion ball leapt into view, but as she readied number four Lanier gave a shout.

"What the hell…? Hang on!" He wrenched the controls and took the ship into a steep climb that increased everyone's weight by almost two G's, and the captain cursed as her target slid out of her sights.

"All ships, break off! I repeat, _disengage!"_ The tone in his voice vindicated his actions. Broderick switched her tiny screen to aft view, and what she saw made her gasp.

The saucer-shaped craft was now floating before a reddish vortex that swirled like some vast whirlpool. Even as a fiery cauliflower blossomed on the UFO's rear quarter and it began to reel drunkenly, she realized to her dismay that she was looking at a jump point of considerable size. But this was like no entry she had ever witnessed. A corner of her mind noticed with relief that the other ships had already retreated, but her own craft was too close.

Horror grew claws and seized her guts. "Matt! The entry wave backwash! If they jump–!"

"I know!" he gritted, fighting against the sheer acceleration as the Black Phantom arced around and scrambled for an escape vector. A glance at his scope indicated a familiar contact attempting the same maneuver; no doubt Atwood. He slammed the throttles to their stops and the engines howled, voraciously doubling their consumption of the precious Elerium-115 that served as fuel. Use of the hyperdrive to perform a nano-jump was not an option…the few minutes it would take to power up was time that they did not have.

Dark flowers were blooming at the edges of his vision, and dimly he wondered if the aliens were desperate enough to jump with their main engines damaged. He definitely did not want to be around to find out. Abruptly the cockpit lit up with an unbearable brilliance, making Cheyenne cry out in alarm and Matt's first thought was of an explosion; he expected his easy chair to get blown out from beneath him and he tensed involuntarily.

But as things went gray and the rip in the fabric of space dragged them in–both the alien vessel and the pair of human ships alike–destiny had other plans.


	2. Fire in the Sky

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW characters are sole property of Square, legal blah-blah, etc…

**Author's note: **This starts off with a bang, hee hee.

**Fire in the Sky**

June 26, 2067

"And so she goes 'Hey, is that a ratchet in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?' Ya' get it, Sarge?"

"Neil?"

"Yeah?"

"Anyone ever tell you your jokes flat-out suck?"

Broody silence over the commlink, then: "Uh, no…"

"Okay, then I'm telling you now. Your jokes flat-out suck."

"Gee, I never knew you cared."

Ryan chuckled as he continued walking up the small grassy hill, carrying his nocturne at waist level. He had had to endure Neil's awful punch lines for over a week now, and it would be another three days before the assignment was complete. Both of the Deep Eyes were accompanying a survey ship that was not unlike Aki's renowned _Black Boa_.This was part of the Ecosystem Recovery Division's delegation, which had supplanted the Bioetherics branch last year. It had been Aki Ross herself who had requested that they fly escort as the survey team mapped the areas around Kansas and Nebraska, setting up temporary encampments out in field. They had plenty of fuel and supplies to last the rest of the week, and reported back to Captain Edwards every evening. Well, Ryan tried, anyway…Neil tended to hog the comm trying to get hold of Jane half the time…

"Hey, you think we're gonna' catch that solar eclipse that Dr. Sid mentioned?"

Ryan sighed. "Who knows. Keep running your mouth and you're gonna' get switched off." He reached the top of the rise and decided to rest for a moment. Setting his weapon aside he opened his half helmet, knelt and took in the scene. To the north and east were sparse woodland, just starting to grow back. In the other two directions there was nothing higher than flattened hills with open plains beyond them. Everything lay beneath a peaceful late afternoon sky half-filled with puffy white cumulus. He plucked a blade of grass from the ground beside him, and placing it between his teeth, absently mulled over the past year.

New York was undergoing reconstruction and would not be ready for resettlement for almost another year. The barriers were no more, of course, having been dismantled for building material which was in short supply to start with. But it would take decades before civilization even began to approach the level prior to the arrival of the Leonid meteor and its deadly passengers, and as if nature were trying to compensate for the reduced number of inhabitants, it seemed as if every fertile woman in the world had suddenly decided to add to the population explosion. This presented the world governments with the very real problem of insufficient resources for the increasing populace.

He smiled. Lita was trying not to be too obvious but he had caught little hints from her about possibly starting a family. As for the captain and Dr. Ross, Gray had confided that he had the feeling that there would be wedding bells as soon as things calmed down around here. And Neil and Jane? God only knew what was going on between those two…

"Yo, sarge?"

Speak of the devil. Ryan looked back down the hill; Neil wasn't visible, so he was probably inside the grounded Copperhead, bumbling around with something or the other. Just beyond it was the larger shuttlecraft. The personnel milling about beneath it were the research techs, and they had just finished loading their equipment. His headset crackled as the corporal relayed a status update. "Dr. Langley reports that they're ready to proceed to the next sector."

Ryan grunted a roger, stood and stretched his legs. He trotted down the slope, rifle clanking against his armor as he finally reached level ground and clambered up the short entrance ramp, making his way to the rear cabin. The Copperhead's engines had ignited and were now idling, warming up after being inactive all day. Already strapped in, Neil peered back over his shoulder. "Be nice to lift off before it gets dark."

Ryan lowered himself into a seat and tugged off his helmet, stowing it and the weapon in a locker. "What are you babbling about now?" he asked, brows knitting quizzically.

"That solar eclipse, remember? Isn't it supposed to pass pretty close by here?" The ship shuddered as the engines spooled up and, with a jerk, began to rise, retracting its landing gear and swinging around to face the shuttle. "Come to think of it, things do look a little murky out there. Don't tell me you've been thinking about Lita so much that you haven't you noticed?"

"Like you should talk. I'm not the one treating the radio like some sort of instant messenger, trying to chat with Jane every other minute." He got to his feet, instinctively shifting his weight as the ship swayed and grasped an overhead handhold as he worked his way to the cockpit, squeezing into the co-pilot's position. He squinted through the canopy as the ship rose even higher. "Huh. I'll be damned…you're right for a change."

"Yeah, funny…really funny, sarge," the tech sniffed, holding at a steady hover. Below them, dust enveloped the shuttle as its massive thrusters bore it and its heavy payload of scientific equipment upwards. It turned on a northwest bearing and ascended; the military craft kept pace easily, and very shortly both of them were soaring among the cloudbanks and heading towards Nebraska.

"I think that Dr. Sid's event is ahead of schedule," Ryan said slowly, his voice full of wonder. He tapped the other man on the shoulder and pointed through of the canopy.

Neil stared. "Huh? Oh geez, look at that!"

Outside the sky had darkened further, and the sunlight continued to noticeably diminish as an eerie premature twilight replaced the afternoon. The bright disc of the sun now had a bite taken out of it. Ryan switched his attention back to the landscape that had fallen away beneath them, and his breath caught. The penumbra of the eclipse was perceptibly racing across the countryside, like an ominous curtain of night. As the darker core of umbra approached, stars began to appear in the black vault of heaven. The distant horizon still glowed with a thin band of sunlight, and the sight was breathtaking. He opened a channel to the survey team. "Doctor Langley, are you getting this?"

"Affirmative, Sergeant, we're recording it. If you don't mind we're going to enter a holding pattern for a bit."

Neil tossed a quick glance at his gauges. "We have fuel to spare."

"Appreciate it." Langley's voice took on a scholarly tone. "The totality only lasts a few minutes, so obtain some more data. Then we'll resume our original course, and–what was that? Gentlemen, stand by a moment, please…"

Whittaker frowned. "What's going on over there?" he asked Neil.

"Got me."

The commlink had remained open, and they both heard a brief vocal exchange aboard the other ship. Langley sounded puzzled as he addressed them again. "Our sensors have detected something odd…about twelve kilometers due west. We can't make heads or tails of it, but since it's well within range we can go take a peek, eh?"

Neil jockeyed the joystick to match the shuttle as it altered course through the dark skies. "What is it? Air traffic?"

"Negative, corporal. It's showing up as a very strong energy signature, not your typical aircraft. We should have a visual on it any time now."

"Hope it's not another meteor…"

"Neil, don't even go there," Ryan said edgily.

They continued on, their vision occasionally hindered as they penetrated the upper parts of the clouds. Then they emerged from a particularly dense cloud wall into a clear space, and there ahead hung an unearthly sight. Suspended in the dark sky was an oblong lozenge shape that flickered with prismatic colors; occasionally a brighter flash flared up from its heart. And it was huge, stretching off hundreds of meters to either side. As they neared, turbulence began to rock the Copperhead, forcing Neil to keep a tight grip on the controls. "What the hell _is_ that?"

The reply was sprinkled with a burst of static. "Unknown! We've never seen anything like it! But whatever it is, it's not emitting harmful radiation, just loads of photons–light, in layman's terms. We're going to move in just a little closer, see if we can obtain some readings."

An alarm bell went off in Whittaker's head. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"We're taking precautions, don't worry. Hold your position while we investigate. This shouldn't take long." A few minutes passed.

Then things started happening fast.

Nav lights glowing, the shuttle had reduced its airspeed and was closing on the phenomenon when the Copperhead's acquisition sensors suddenly went crazy. Neil instinctively reconfigured his HUD, and his stomach dropped as he scanned his instruments. A proximity warning added to the din in the close cockpit and Ryan had to almost shout as the ship was buffeted again.

"Neil! What's happening?"

The tech divided his attention between his instruments, keeping the Copperhead level and eyeing the survey shuttle. "Contact! I got a contact…something's coming through! Sarge, get 'em away from that thing!" he snapped, and rolled hard to port.

Ryan tore his eyes away from the spectacle outside and tried to raise the other ship but spat an oath. "Damn! Can't get through to them! Just getting static!"

The survey team must have also noticed that something was definitely amiss, because their transport started to turn and withdraw but the maneuver was agonizingly slow. As they did so, the thing in the sky began to twist into a vortex, a sky-born eddy that shredded the tops of the nearby clouds into gray streamers. Another blast licked out at both craft and the Copperhead's airframe creaked alarmingly.

"Dammit!" Neil wrestled the joystick. "The readings are off the scale!"

Ryan barely heard him. His eyes were fixed on the whirlpool in the sky, and the thing that was emerging from within it.

"If we get out of this, we're gonna' need a bigger scale…"


	3. Dinner Guests

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW characters are sole property of Square. The other name you'll see originally belonged to Microprose (nudge wink)

**Author's note: **The Deep Eyes have a close encounter of an unexpected kind…

**Dinner Guests**

From within the eye of the sky vortex, something had materialized and now slowly made its way out from the anomaly. Ryan's mind was boggled as he tried to grasp its initial size, as still the rip in the sky continued to birth the thing. It had the flattened, shallow shape of two identical saucers joined rim to rim. Its color was of a uniform metallic gray, but he thought he could see some sort of–what, a growth?–twisting in various spots on the surface, like some malignant organism that had taken root there.

"Are you recording this?" Neil asked nervously.

"Wha–?" Ryan gave himself a mental shake and activated the external cameras, which were mounted on the ship's top and bottom. What one would fail to see, the other would acquire, thus allowing nearly 360 degrees of coverage. He tried the transmit button again and grunted in disgust. "Still no luck reaching the shuttle. Or the base, for that matter."

"Sit tight, sarge. I'll get us so close that you'll be able to read their lips," Neil chirped with false cheer, and began to cautiously move towards the other ship, resisting the temptation to be hasty. He did not want to attract the thing's undue attention, which now had completely emerged and hung, unmoving, in a sky brightening with late afternoon daylight…the solar eclipse was ending and the sun had returned, shining down on a scene that was strange indeed. Keeping a wary eye on the immense ship he could see that its rear was a mass of twisted, smoking wreckage…it looked like it had been through a bit of a scrape. He quickly eyeballed it at almost a klick across, and there were oddly shaped structures like small buildings on the upper hull–it was almost as if an small city had taken flight.

"Say, Sarge? do you believe in UFO's?"

"After the Phantom War I think I could believe in the Tooth Fairy. Wait, you're saying that–"

"Yep. Well, it sure ain't Russian."

Then the alien ship's perspective began to alter, slightly faster than the Copperhead's airspeed could account for, and as the significance became clear, Neil gasped. It was altering its velocity and vector, turning away from them. Alarmed, his gaze linked the monstrous ship's course with the only other craft present.

The unarmed survey ship.

"Godammit!" He opened a channel to the other vessel, knowing even as the angry hiss of static filled his earpiece that it was a futile act. Behind him, Ryan clenched his fists helplessly, for he too had seen it. He could only hope that the other team was aware of the danger, and evidently they were, for the distant shuttle abruptly grew a tail of blue flame, accelerating in a near-vertical climb and trailing a plume of thick smoke.

"Go, _go_ you bastards!" A grin grew on Neil's face and he crossed his fingers as the shuttle accelerated, clawing for altitude, and it became evident that the UFO wouldn't be able to run it down.

"They're clear!" he whooped, and he was about to say more when a bolt of green brilliance lanced out, and a fire-rose bloomed where the fleeing ship had been an instant before.

"_NO!" _

Ryan's dismayed bellow almost rattled the canopy frame, and he slammed a fist against the arm of his seat. The memories of the phantoms' ruthless slaughter had barely faded, and now he had to witness more senseless death. His mouth curled in a silent snarl and he glowered at the intruder, which, as if to demonstrate its malevolence even further, continued to pour streams of energy bolts at the plummeting remains of the shuttle.

"My God…" Neil whispered, stunned. There was absolutely no way he could even think of avenging the deaths of the scientists; most of his ship's armament had been replaced with support equipment for the survey mission, leaving only a gatling cannon and some token missiles, useless for offense. They would be as effective as a fly's footsteps on the arm of a dozing giant. An overwhelming sense self-preservation grew as he squeezed what he had just seen into a far corner of his mind. His lips were compressed into a grim line.

"I think that circumstances dictate we make a break for it with the utmost alacrity," he said flatly, as the horrific UFO shifted its cold alien awareness towards them.

Ryan's reply was full of iron. "Do it!"

The engine safeguards shrilled their warnings as the afterburners kicked in and the Copperhead screamed into a sharp dive, meters flashing by in seconds before it leveled out and flew on the deck. Above and behind them, the alien ship had taken up a pursuit course and was, incredibly, beginning to close...already, a bolt snapped by the cockpit canopy with the sound of ripping cloth, making beads of cold sweat break out on Neil's brow. And to add to the confusion, the acquisition sensors chimed again, and he spat a curse as he took in his readouts. "Aw, shit! I don't believe it!"

"What? What is it?" Ryan was gripping his armrests, remembering belatedly how much he hated Neil's showboating, even though their lives now depended on it.

"Two more bogies, incoming! They're exiting from that disturbance!"

Heart hammering, Whittaker tapped into the video feed from the upper camera and swung it aft. The image was sliding around on the small screen as Neil continued weaving a drunken evasive pattern.

The UFO dominated the view, its fearsome weapons increasing their fire as it began to close the gap. Behind it the tear in the sky had shrunken considerably; then a pair of dark specks appeared and gained with astonishing speed…in mere seconds they had passed both the UFO and the Copperhead, splitting, crossing and banking back around in an impossibly tight maneuver. The astounded Deep Eyes got a glimpse of forward-swept wings, massive engines, and opaque cockpit canopies. They carried no identifying markings upon them and were as black as night. Then both of the newcomers opened fire, raking amber-colored bolts across its surface. Harried now, the UFO's forward speed slowed as it turned to deal with this more immediate threat, its lethal weapons forming a crazy cat's cradle of deadly emerald beams.

"Neil..!"

"Yeah, yeah, I saw 'em!" he yelped, and veered the ship into a wide outward spiral that took them out of the path of battle. In another moment they had reached safe distance and slowed to a hover. He jockeyed them around to face the fracas that was raging a couple of kilometers away. "Who the hell was_ that_?" he squeaked.

"Ain't got a clue, but they sure took the heat off our asses!"

"Look at 'em go!" Neil toggled off his HUD and picked up on the action. Both of the black ships were unleashing weaponry not unlike that the UFO had, some type of powerful energy beam that surpassed anything the USMF had. They buzzed the massive ship again and again, firing relentlessly. But on the next pass, the smaller craft got a tad too close…a shimmering bolt nicked one wing and it was enveloped in cloud of flame. Both Neil and Ryan gasped in alarm, but then they saw it soaring away in a shallow dive riding a trail of smoke, attempting to locate a suitable landing area among the sparse hills and low trees.

As if in retaliation the larger craft intensified its attack. A pair of missile trails appeared and blew off one of the strange structures on the hull, but the UFO shrugged it off. Then its attacker opened its engines wide, climbing straight up before winging over into a power dive and cutting loose with an ace in the hole. Whatever it launched was so brilliant that it initially looked as if something had gone terribly wrong, and it had exploded. But then the craft angled away as the bright globe of light it had released drifted almost lazily towards it target. When it did make contact, the detonation outshone even the sun, forcing them to squint. Then the afterimage faded from their tortured retinas and they saw an amazing thing…

The UFO had decided that it had had enough, and was sliding away to the southeast, gaining speed as it did and leaving a smoke trail that was oddly luminescent. Within moments, it had disappeared over the far horizon, leaving the Deep Eyes speechless.

"What now? It's your call, sarge."

Whittaker was silent for another moment, and then looked outside. There was no sign of either of the strange black ships, and of course the survey shuttle was history. The whirlpool had healed itself and vanished. He exhaled hugely, then:

"We investigate that downed ship, corporal. Can you locate it?"

"Hold on…yeah, I got something, bearing oh-two-four. No sign of…wait, correction. Make that _two_ somethings." He turned to look back over his shoulder and his gray eyes met Ryan's dark brown ones. "I sure hope that whoever these guys are, they're not so trigger-happy in person."

"If they _are _human at all, Neil," he said. "Let's go..."

The bug-like Copperhead touched down amid a cloud of loose soil and dead leaves. Nearby, the two black ships had landed beside one another in a clearing that was surrounded on three sides by dense copses of trees. The sun was quite low in the western sky now, casting long shadows and painting everything with a ruddy light. Neil placed the ship on standby, checking his instruments once again and rubbing his brow with a somewhat unsteady hand, still unsure of what he had seen. Just a few minutes ago, as they cleared a small rise and the field came into view, he could have sworn that he had seen only one ship. He had blinked and suddenly there were two of them down there.

_Must be the lighting. When we get back I've gotta' ask the captain for a vacation._

He decided not to say anything to the sergeant, who at this moment was already in the aft compartment and was waiting for him, weapon in hand. "Well? Grab your stuff Neil. Let's go see what our guests are like."

A few minutes later the pair had disembarked. The lenses of their helmets glowed in the late afternoon as they approached the damaged ship first.

"Be careful!"

"Relax, sarge." He stood drinking in the details. "This thing is some sort of fighter or something, but the design is like nothing I've ever seen."

Ryan heard him but did not respond. He was scrutinizing their surroundings…the nearby trees were deep with shadows and he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, even though his helmet scanner had revealed nothing out there. The fact that there had been no reply to their hails made him nervous, and even though he was standing right beneath the cockpit, he couldn't see through the canopy's strange material. His uneasiness wasn't diminished when he discovered that Houston still remained out of touch. He looked around a final time before walking over to join Neil, who was studying the damage. The wingtip was missing a sizeable chunk, exposing some cables and conduits. Several support members were showing...they appeared to be fabricated of a silvery alloy.

Neil continued to provide the running commentary. "The avionics are really advanced. What I wouldn't do to know how this all works!" He switched to a macro view and zoomed in, shaking his head at the complex diagrams and circuits displayed on his internal screen. He gave a long, low whistle before stepping back and approaching the second ship. It was larger but had a similar design: upper and lower semi-circular wings and a fuselage with a sleek, wasp-waisted profile, and like its smaller brethren there was not an ID mark to be seen. The missile racks were empty, but poking out from between the wings were the snouts of nasty-looking cannon. There was a ramp set flush with the aft hull undercut, and above this were the twin barrels of a rear-facing turret.

"_This_ has got to be some sort of transport or assault craft, sarge."

He continued on around towards the stern, chattering over his suit radio as he noted other features. Ryan gave the nearest clump of trees a last wary glance.

Suddenly the ramblings ceased.

"Neil? Hey, Neil–!" He dashed around the far end of the ship and found his partner standing before the sizeable loading hatch or ramp, gazing at it, head cocked in that characteristic manner of his whenever he did something that meant mischief on his part. Then he turned and jerked a thumb back behind him as he swaggered towards the sergeant.

"I wonder if that's the only way in? I didn't see any other entranceway, and the cockpit is obviously sealed." He stopped. "You're giving me that look again."

"Neil, please, _please_ tell me you didn't do it," Ryan said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Do what?"

"Touch anything."

"Of course not! What makes you say that?" he huffed.

He nodded past the tech's shoulder. "Then why is it opening?"

"Huh?" Neil whirled, almost losing his balance, and backed up a step. The slightly curved obsidian-colored panel at the rear was splitting horizontally, upper half folding into the cavernous darkness of the ship's interior, while its lower mate hinged outward and down, contacting the ground with a soft thump. "I didn't do it, honest! I swear I didn't touch _anything_–"

Ryan held out a hand, then the four fingers and thumb met, pantomiming a mouth closing…a non-verbal sign clearly telling him to shut up. He stood his ground and the other man sheepishly took up a place beside him. Both of them held rifles at ready, straining to peer into the opening before them.

At first there was no change. Then, from the blackness within the ship, three crescents of red light appeared. The Deep Eyes did not move an iota as a trio of humanoids emerged and walked down the ramp, heading straight for them; despite their mechanical appearance, no artificial construct could match that fluid stride. Their armor was the same matte black alloy as both of the ships, and looked less bulky and more refined than that of the Deep Eyes. The red slits that had first revealed their presence were the face shields of sleek helmets that had no other major external features. Some type of accessory belt encircled their waists and the top of a back-mounted pack poked just past the shoulders. One thing that was immediately identifiable, however, were their firearms. Each of the individuals carried a massive rifle, with muzzles that looked as wide as tunnel bores. Unfamiliar as the designs were, guns were guns and they were held in such a manner that there was no doubt they could be brought to bear in a split second. They marched right up to Ryan and Neil and halted.

One was taller than the other two and took an additional step. Now the Deep Eyes could see that there was an insignia on one side of the chest plate, a red circle encircling a simple gold "X". Was this their leader, then? Quite aware of the technology advantage the strangers possessed, Ryan slowly, cautiously lowered his rifle and raised his free hand to his helmet's release latch. The blue lenses went dark as it split open and he removed it. His eyes never strayed from the silent figure before him. Without prompting Neil did the same.

In one smooth motion, the stranger aped Whittaker's motions, reaching up to undo a mechanism. With the hiss of slight depressurization the helmet came off, and beneath it a youthful human female face was revealed, her long coppery hair secured in a tight braid. Above a light scattering of freckles, a pair of emerald green eyes squinted slightly in the rays of the early evening sun. She tucked her helmet beneath one arm and snapped a crisp salute with her other hand. Ryan returned the gesture, albeit a bit uncertainly. Then the stranger spoke.

"Captain Cheyenne Broderick, Black Ops Division." She made a subtle hand gesture and her companions her stood down, lowering their weapons at once.

Ryan was stumped but managed not to gape, as Neil was no doubt doing right now. He nodded. "Sergeant Ryan Whittaker, Deep Eyes Squadron, United States Military Force based out of Houston."

The woman blinked, puzzled. "'Deep Eyes?' I wasn't aware of that division. Lanier, you ever heard of them?" she asked the man to her right. He had also removed his helmet, displaying serene dark brown eyes set in a broad face that was topped with tousled brown hair.

"It's news to me, captain."

Neil overcame his wonder and asked a question in turn. "And who is the 'Black Ops?'"

The tall redhead turned her green gaze on him. "You must have," she replied frankly. "We're X-COM."


	4. We Need to Talk

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW characters are property of Square. X-COM is property of Microprose.

**Author's note: **X-COM arrives in Houston and suspects that things are…different.

**"We need to talk…"**

The alarm sounded and the shape curled up beneath the bed covers gave a dozy grunt, then stirred and muttered some more. A slender hand emerged, unerringly smacked the snooze button and disappeared back beneath the blanket. Five minutes later the buzzer sounded again and the hand reappeared, nearly knocking the offending piece of hardware off the nightstand this time. It finally managed to slap the _off _button. The edge of the bed sheet flipped down, and Doctor Aki Ross, savior of the earth and champion of the human race, cracked open a bleary eye at the holographic numerals floating near the ceiling.

_Umph…_o_nly 7:30? Either I'm dreaming, _she thought,_ or getting up actually _is_ an option. _For a second she lay there befuddled, and then remembered that yesterday was the end of her graveyard shift at the lab, and she had merely neglected to reset her alarm. Well, no matter since Dr. Sid had to practically beg her to take a few days off anyway.

Aki was reluctant to leave the cozy nest of her bed, and was dozing off again when a soft thump on the covers heralded the arrival of Mikuni. He drew near her face, purring and pressing a chilly nose against her own; from this vantage his blue eyes appeared even more crossed than usual, and Aki couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, all right, I'm awake! Thanks for reminding me," she said, sitting up and scratching him between the ears; the young Siamese cat was a gift from Gray on her last birthday. To this day he would never say where he had found him, no matter how much Aki tried to coax it out of him. "You are a little pest, you know that? And I suppose you're hungry now, huh? Well, you're just going to have to wait until after my shower." She put him aside, and satisfied that supper was coming Mikuni hopped down to the floor and began grooming himself.

Aki tossed the bed sheets aside, stretched her back, her vertebrae popping a little, and got up, slipping into her favorite robe. "Heat on medium," she said aloud, stifling a yawn. Her apartment's voice recognition system complied and almost immediately the warm air ducts clicked open. She stopped in the kitchen long enough to get some coffee going before heading to the shower, snapping on the bathroom light and cranking up the taps to just short of scalding. She smiled, recalling how Gray complained about her choice of temperature. It certainly made for some interesting moments whenever they both squeezed into the stall together. As the steam billowed she undressed, grabbed a washcloth and a soap bar, got in and proceeded to work up a thick layer of lather, sighing as the spray tickled her skin and the suds swirled away down the drain along with the last remnants of her drowsiness. Presently, she shut the water off, stepped out, wrapped herself in a thick towel and padded back to the bedroom, bare feet leaving tracks on the rug. Her hair she dried as best she could, especially considering that it had grown considerably longer and now hung well past her shoulders. She was reluctant to cut it; both she and Gray liked it long.

Aki rambled around in her closet and Mikuni watched, his eyes slanted sapphire ovals, as she selected clean jeans and a sweatshirt and began to dress. That done, she went into the kitchen, the cat mewing on her heels, and noted that the coffee was ready. She fixed a dish of cat food and set it down on the floor. Humming to herself a little, she had just poured a cupful when the com-unit on the wall beeped. Curious, she walked over to it and pressed the 'accept call' key, activating the audio and visual pickups. The holographic screen glowed to life and Aki blinked in surprise as the no-nonsense visage of General Tobias appeared. "General! What can I do for you?" she said over the rim of her cup.

His gray-green eyes, ordinarily carefully neutral, were apprehensive. "Good evening, doctor. I realize that my contacting you at your residence is highly unusual, but circumstances have arisen that have forced me to do so."

Beneath her damp hair her brow furrowed, and her mood shifted from detached curiosity to a heightened wariness. _Aw, _d_amn. Why do I have the feeling that this is not good news?_ "What happened?" she asked tentatively.

"Just over an hour ago, a vessel of unknown origin appeared in sector three, zone twenty-seven."

Aki did a rapid-fire calculation, and her brown eyes widened. "The old wastelands of Eastern Kansas?" _The last location my team had been assigned to._ And hadn't the solar eclipse passed through that area as well?

"Yes. It attacked the survey ship without warning or provocation." He paused, taking a deep breath. "There were no survivors. I'm sorry, doctor."

The color began to fade out of her surroundings. With an effort Aki composed herself, clutching the counter for support. Her coffee sloshed out of her cup as she roughly set it down, but she ignored the hot liquid that spilled onto a trembling hand, instead squeezing her eyes shut, trying to drive away the faintness that threatened to sweep over her. She felt personally responsible for each of those fellow scientists, people she had worked closely with for over a year. _Get a grip, Aki, _she ordered herself. She had to swallow past the lump in her throat before she could speak again.

"And the Deep Eyes?"

"They escaped, thanks to Corporal Fleming's exemplary piloting, and also thanks to the timely arrival of some 'assistance', that managed to drive off the intruder."

Aki's eyes popped open. "Assistance?' Who–?"

The general let a ghost of relief slip into his answer. "They're returning to base even as I speak; Captain Edwards is already on his way. But there's been an injury, so I want you and Dr. Sid to meet us at Hanger Two without delay. Am I clear?"

"Understood, sir." Aki was already marshalling her thoughts, running through a mental checklist. As she did, Tobias spoke once more before his image winked off of the screen.

"And keep an open mind, doctor. I suspect that there may be a very long question-and-answer session ahead."

"How is she doing, captain?" Hughes asked quietly, keeping his balance with ease as the Black Phantom's aft compartment swayed beneath his feet.

Broderick checked the stained bandage on Harper's right temple again. "She might need stitches," she sighed. "And I'm concerned about her psi-implant." No larger than a pea, all X-COM agents carried the tiny self-contained psionic implant deep in their skulls; it was their only means of personal defense against aliens that utilized psionic powers…Sectoids, the dreaded Ethereals, and worst of all, the nightmarish Psilords.

"Don't worry," Hughes said, checking an updated display on the med-kit's screen. "Readout is still showing clean."

"Of course it does, you ass. I'm fine. Where are we now?" Eri's words were slightly slurred, and her pupils were dilated

Broderick frowned in concern. _Sure sign of a concussion_. "Shh…relax. The Deep Eyes are taking us to their base. They have medical facilities there, and you're first on the list."

"Oh." The younger woman appeared to chew on this, and then asked a totally off-tangent question. "Are they cute?"

The captain rolled her eyes, and Hughes brayed laughter. "Christ, you're such a flirt! Good thing Atwood didn't hear that!"

"He can go suck an egg," she replied through a grin–it was known that Tyler had a thing for her. She put that out of her mind as she leaned her head against the seat's backrest and closed her eyes, ruminating…

During the last firefight, while Lanier concentrated on flying, and Broderick had her hands full operating the touchy fusion ball launcher and Hughes was attempting to ensure that the ship wouldn't fly apart under its pilot's attentions, it was fiery-tempered Eri Harper who manned the Black Phantom's gunnery control with much gusto. She loved shooting things and was so into it that she had neglected to buckle in or don her helmet. An abrupt maneuver had tumbled her out of her seat and she ended up bouncing the side of her skull off a bulkhead. Stubbornly she fought on, though, ignoring the pain and not pulling out her medi-kit until they had landed.

"Lucky for you your head is denser than this ship," Lanier said afterwards, shutting off the kit's small scanner and calmly wiping away what blood he could before applying an antibiotic. His easygoing voice held a slight note of humor. "You probably got your bells rung a bit, I'd gather. You're a regular darling for the school of hard knocks."

"Bite me, monkey-boy. I'll live," Eri growled. She held the pad against her head as her eyes glittered from beneath ragged bangs of short dark blonde hair, which looked as if she had hacked at it with a knife. Seeing as how she enjoyed her blades and always kept at least a couple somewhere on her person all the time, Lanier wouldn't have been surprised if she did her own haircuts. "I want to know whose butts we pulled out of the fire, boss."

"We'll know soon enough, Eri. They landed nearby, and are still poking around out there. You'd think they never saw an X-COM ship before," Broderick had quipped, tugging on her helmet as Hughes and Lanier joined her by the ramp controls, preparing to disembark and meet those outside. Atwood, under her orders, had left his craft as soon as the Black Phantom had touched down, and was already concealed in the nearby tree line, plasma rifle at the ready. She had had him activate his suit's optical camouflage, just in case. "Sit tight. After we see who we played hero to today, we'll get you fixed up."

Harper threw her a jaunty salute. "Aye-aye, cap'n."

Now, not thirty minutes later, Broderick entered the cockpit and wearily slouched into her seat. Outside, the dark countryside flowed past beneath an occasional wisp of blue-gray cloud. The sun had long since set, and only a vague band of lighter sky on the western horizon remained. She was uneasy, and had been ever since they had emerged from that anomalyin time to see the UFO destroy one hapless ship, then try and pull a repeat performance on the Deep Eyes. Yes, they had managed to run it off, but they had not destroyed it. If there was one thing that she detested it was loose ends. But something else still tugged on a corner of her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low beep. Lanier said something and shut it off.

"What was that?" she asked edgily.

"Our fuel," came the candid answer. "We're on reserve now."

She sat upright. "_What?_ We launched with a full load, didn't we? Even after all this time we should have plenty remaining!"

Illuminated by the cockpit controls, Lanier's unreadable expression was visible in the small interior mirror. "Yes, we should. But there's no damage to the ship, nothing that could account for such an abnormal loss of Elerium. Believe you me, I'm as surprised as you are. But, I was thinking…could that warp jump have had something to do with it?"

Broderick sounded anxious. "I don't know. Can we make it to Houston?"

"Yes. The engines are in atmospheric mode now. However, I've noticed something a little odd…the air traffic chatter I'm picking up around here is different."

"'Different?' How so?"

"Well…it's in plain English, make no doubt, but the frequencies are for the most part unfamiliar."

Broderick sat back, exhaling. "I'll be picking the brains of HQ when we land. I want to know what the hell is going on here!"

"That makes two of us. Hold on, getting a hail from the sergeant." With a casual gesture he pushed a button and flicked a small switch. His thumbs-up indicated to Broderick that she was live.

"Yes, sergeant, go ahead."

"We're about ten minutes out from the base, captain. How's your injured crew member holding up?"

"A little better, but I still want her to get some medical attention."

"We'll have a medic standing by. We're cleared for final approach now."

Not too much later Houston appeared as a carpet of light. Headlights illuminated the network of roads and freeways as ground traffic entered and left the metropolis, which reclined in the near distance. Blinking white strobes and the navigational beacons of aircraft could be seen in the night sky. Neil's Copperhead made a gentle turn, banking away from the city proper and descending towards a smaller cluster of stark buildings that hunkered low to the ground, clearly the USMF base. Brilliant blue strobes defined several intersecting landing strips; darkened aircraft were parked on the tarmac but before Broderick or Lanier could positively ID any of them another transmission came in from Whittaker.

"Attention X-COM. Follow us down and taxi to the larger hanger. General Tobias is awaiting our arrival."

"We copy, sergeant." Broderick acknowledged, and then cut the link. She stared out of the canopy as landing lights speared down from the Copperhead; a beacon flared up from the nearest runway, almost in greeting. Then Lanier and Atwood activated their own floodlights.

_Got a funny feeling about all this, _she thought. _Something's not right. ___

__The interior of Hanger Two was huge, covering an area of almost three football fields. With Jane beside him, Gray noted that the small cluster of guards nearby had their weapons conspicuously displayed. The captain stole a brief glance at the other woman who had positioned herself on the opposite side of General Tobias, who himself stood nit far away. Transferred from Chicago almost a year ago, Major Lynne Schaefer served as the general's military advisor. A rather ordinary looking middle-aged woman, Schaefer boasted excellent credentials and an upbeat personality, but he occasionally caught an odd vibe from her.

A medical vehicle entered the hanger from a side passage and a pair of MP's hustled over. A few words were exchanged. After an ID card was presented the vehicle proceeded to park nearby, and from the driver's side a figure stepped out, one that Gray recognized immediately. He kept his greeting low-key as Aki approached, her field pack slung over her shoulder. Behind her the passenger door also swung up and Dr. Sid exited, albeit with a bit more care.

"Let me guess…the general called, right?" Gray asked her in a low voice.

She let a small grin slip across her face, while attempting to appear comfortable in the presence of the general and his aide.

"How'd you–did _you_ tell him?" She narrowed her eyes in mock annoyance.

"Actually, I did. Ryan requested a medic here at the hanger, and guess who came to mind?"

Her reply was cut short as a klaxon blared and the massive hanger doors began to rumble open, revealing a widening slice of darkness. A cool breeze entered and it bore the familiar whine of an approaching Copperhead. The noise grew louder, assaulting everyone's ears and the military drop ship appeared, landing lights ablaze, engines down and landing gear deployed. Upon touchdown the ship taxied in and over to one side, and outside more brilliant cones of white light drew circles on the landing apron. Then the sources of those beams became visible; as Ryan and Neil had described, the X-COM ships were extraordinary in design and as black as the evening sky from which they emerged. And they sounded quite unlike anything else–they neither whined nor howled but produced instead a haunting shriek as they dropped their undercarriage; whatever drive they used for final maneuvering raised very little dust and debris. Once their wheels made contact, they followed the Copperhead's lead, rolling in between the open doors.

Major Schaefer barked a terse order through her com-link. The signal was relayed to a tech who, in the overhead control room, tapped a translucent keypad before him. The hanger doors took almost a full minute to close then sealed with a hollow boom. Another key was pressed and more banks of interior lights snapped on, the harsh illumination casting sharp-edged shadows. At a signal from the major the guards surrounded all three ships. They became more alert as the Copperhead's lower access hatch yawned open. Whittaker and Fleming emerged, helmets in hand and their gear slung across their backs. The two approached and exchanged a brief salute with Tobias.

"Welcome back, sergeant. Corporal Fleming, I understand that you had to draw on some fancy flying to keep your tail out of trouble?"

Put uncomfortably on the spot by the general, Neil shrewdly noted that the captain was looking at him steadily, while Jane's gaze was cool.

"Ah, thank you, sir. But if it weren't for those guys–" here he indicated the other two craft–"the captain would be posting in the recruitment ads."

Tobias gave a half smile. He opened his mouth to say more, when the major spoke.

"Sir…" Her hazel eyes were fixed on one of the X-COM ships. The canopy of the Super Avenger was opening, its rear half swinging upwards. Several small panels on the side of the fuselage flipped down, evidently serving as access steps. With the hanger security detail covering his every move, the pilot unfastened his flight harness and extracted himself from the cockpit and, boot soles clinking on the steps, carefully let himself down. The black armor of his flight suit fitted his lanky form almost like a glove. Facing them, he unfastened his helmet and removed it, and the features revealed were one that made Neil do a double take. The tech leaned towards the sergeant.

"That kid can't be a day over twenty!"

Amusement tinged Ryan's voice as he gave Fleming a nudge. "But you saw how he handled himself in that fight, though. He might even be able to fly rings around you, Neil."

"Bullshit!"

"I'll wager twenty bucks."

Jane couldn't resist getting in a well-placed jibe. "I'll double that and throw in a case of ale."

"Cool it, guys." Their captain looked on as hydraulics activated and the ramp in the rear of the Black Phantom hissed open. Four more armored figures emerged–three of them held their helmets in hand, and all were blinking in the bright hanger. One of the two men was supporting a short blonde woman; the strip of white cloth around her head was stained maroon on one side, but she still appeared fairly lucid. Aki and Dr. Sid hurried over, as did the young pilot.

The other woman approached the general. She was tall, and her emerald eyes showed no nervousness at the guards or their weapons. Her bearing and directness immediately identified her as X-COM's captain. She stopped within a pace of Tobias and saluted him. "Captain Cheyenne Marie Broderick, X-COM Black Ops, registry number A490361, sir." She paused. "We…are uncertain of just what happened, but–"

The general returned the salute and kept a poker face, but all sorts of questions were forming in the mind behind it.

"In all good time, captain. First, though, I recommend that you see to your team–" here he pointed towards Harper, who sat on the edge of the portable stretcher Dr. Sid had retrieved. Aki was trying to examine her injury but the patient was fidgety–"and then we will convene with the council."

"'Council?'"

Schaefer replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Yes. You'll be brought to the council chambers and speak with the assembly."

"There was no such council, not at least last time I was earthside." She turned to her fellow squad mate and confidante. "Lanier?"

A quizzical expression had formed on the otherwise composed face. "Sorry, captain. HNN never broadcast such a thing."

Captain Broderick squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and asked something that had been troubling her since their arrival. "General, please tell me…what is today's date?"

He raised an eyebrow but answered her request. "June 26, 2067."

She found herself swaying on her feet and had to wave off a concerned Lanier and Hughes. Her voice came to her from a distance. "That's impossible."

"Why is that?" the major asked.

Eyes wide, Broderick didn't reply right away. Lanier placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "We launched on the August 14, 2067." He stopped as his captain shot him a glance before sweeping her brilliant green gaze across the small group of strangers. Her voice wavered almost imperceptibly.

"General…Major…we need to talk."


	5. Council Meeting

**Disclaimer: **FF:TSW characters are property of Square. X-COM is property of Microprose.

**Author's note: **Eri becomes infatuated with one of the Deep Eyes, much to Atwood's chagrin. A slightly shorter chapter, this one.

Council Meeting 

"What's all that stuff up there?" Hughes was pressing his face up against the thick double-paned window of the small examination room, trying to make out the odd assortment of equipment mounted on the ceiling.

"How should I know? Just let her do her job, okay?" Broderick leaned against the wall beside the window and nervously drummed her fingers on a it as she watched the female medic attend to Harper, who lay on a table in the room on the other side of the glass. Their personal armor secured, the Black Ops now wore fairly comfortable off-duty clothing, courtesy of Ryan's hasty requisition at a supply repository. They had been allowed to return to their ships just long enough to retrieve some relevant data files before both craft had been moved to a secure area three levels beneath the base.

_Impound is more like it, _Lanier had muttered, watching as the Black Phantom was towed into the main elevator. He looked like a child who just lost his favorite toy, and Hughes, who had also been instrumental in the ship's design, tried not to pout either. They resembled like two miserable brothers. Major Schaeffer had assured them that both ships would be safe, but access to them now not be possible, at least not until the council had decided just what to do. But upon entering the medical center the two men forgot all about it, instead gawking at the equipment that surrounded them. Conventional controls were something of a rarity here. Instead, most of the user interfaces were vivid, tactile-feedback holograms. As far as they knew, this kind of technology was still on the drawing boards.

Although Aki could hear the others via the two-way com system she paid scant attention to the commentary. She worked alone, her Eurasian eyes narrowed in concentration. She had removed off Eri's bandage as carefully as she could, but the dried blood had glued some stray hairs together into a clump, and they had come out by the roots. Their owner yelped in surprise and Atwood chuckled, finding this extraordinarily funny. Harper heard it and suppressed a wince as another hair or two was tugged, but her fist balled up below the level of the table and out popped a middle finger.

Amused, Jane raised an eyebrow. "My, my…she _is_ a feisty one, isn't she?"

Cheyenne grunted. "Hmph. You don't know the half of it. Eri is full of piss and vinegar."

If the individual in question overheard this exchange it was difficult to tell. Aki was now blocking their view of her patient, reaching up and pressing something out of sight. There was a thin whine of servomotors and a slender mechanical arm floated down from the ceiling. It held a blunt cylinder on its end and fluidly moved to within centimeters of Eri's head, the lenses within the barrel whirring into focus.

Eri eyed it warily. "Is this going to hurt?"

Aki looked down at the woman who must have been four or five years her junior. She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Not a bit. Keep your head still for just a couple of minutes, and it'll be over before you know it." She checked her settings and walked around to her control panel, fingers tapping a command on the holographic keys. The barrel emitted a greenish glow, and as the bio-etheric beam traveled over the skin the bruise began to fade with time-lapse speed. Aki switched to another display; there was no sign of internal bruising of the delicate brain tissue. A few more minutes passed, and then satisfied that the injury was well on its way to healing, she powered down her equipment. The arm retracted as the localized sterilization field around the operation site was deactivated.

Eri opened her eyes, cautiously sliding her legs off the table and sat on its edge, waiting for her light-headedness to diminish. The room's double-doors slid open as the status light above it switched from yellow to green, and in poured the rest of her colleagues with the Deep Eyes close behind.

Atwood was the first in, of course, and made a beeline for Harper, and as Aki observed the interaction between the lanky young pilot and the person he obviously fancied, it finally hit her. _I don't believe it, _she thought. _If I didn't know any better, it's another Neil and Jane! _She hid a small smile as their captain intervened to break up the start of a squabble.

"Tyler, back off! Eri, that's _enough!_" Exasperated, Broderick pressed a palm against her brow. "Doctor, you have my thanks. _Our _thanks. I'm sorry about the scene, but we're a bit tense right now."

"I understand. She'll be fine, but I would suggest some rest for all of you prior to going before the Council." Aki stripped off her thin operating gloves and fed them to the incinerator in the corner, where they vanished in a noiseless flash.

Gray spoke. "It _is _late. I'll try and speak with the general. I think we can convince them to hold off the meeting until tomorrow. Jane, see what you can do to arrange for some accommodations for our guests."

"Will do, captain." She turned and headed for the exit.

Abruptly, Lanier leaned over and whispered something to his captain, and she almost appeared embarrassed. As if in admonishment her stomach gave an noisy growl, and she felt her face flush. "Not to be so forward, but is there­–"

"Something to eat?" Gray finished her question, and grinned. "I'm sure that the sergeant will be more than happy to show you to the mess hall."

Neil smirked. "Yeah, and if you're lucky you'll see why it's just that, a mess. C'mon, if we hustle maybe we can grab some food before the roaches carry it off." He led the way with Ryan close behind, all but oblivious of Harper's sly, doting gaze. But Aki noticed it and held her tongue until only she and Gray remained.

"May have to watch that one."

"What? Who–?"

She _tsked _in annoyance. "Eri. Didn't you see that way she was looking at Neil? I think she may be hungry for more than just food."

Gray looked shocked, then recovered and laughed aloud. "Well…if she tries to make a move on the corporal, she's going to have to deal with Jane! Care to place your bets now or later?"

She punched his shoulder, lightly. "Gray! _Now _who's being scandalous?"

He watched as Aki shucked out of her operating outfit and hung it on a coat hook. She entered her office and plopped down in a chair, rubbing her eyes. "I wonder if Sid completed compiling the data on them?"

"Is that where he's been all this time?"

"Yeah, over at the lab. While I was prepping for the operation he said that he was going to study the scans he took. But from what I can tell so far, though, they're entirely human, just like us."

Gray was thoughtful for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "They said that they're from earth. But their ships, that technology­–"

"And don't forget…Captain Broderick mentioned that they were in a battle with aliens, and something happened, some sort of mishap." She gazed at the empty operating table before looking at Gray. "It almost sounds too fantastic to be true. But yet…they're _here_."

The following day was humid and warm, with a few low clouds scudding in on the Gulf breeze that freshened as the sun rose. The conditions afforded a spectacular view of the Houston skyline as both teams headed into the city, en route to the Council Chambers located within the Civic Center area. General Tobias and Major Schaeffer were to be present as well. The transportation duties fell to Neil, who chatted away as he drove them all along the main expressway.

"Does he ever shut up?" Hughes muttered, and the Deep Eyes sergeant beside him gave a lopsided grin. Ryan had long since learned how to tune him out. He laughed. "Stick around long enough and you'll find that although he can be yappy, he's quite a tech. But, you'll also discover that you can't use 'Neil' and 'calm' in the same sentence."

Neil half-turned in the driver's seat of the open roofless vehicle. "Hey, I heard that! 'Yappy?' Who's yappy, sarge? Chattiness is a sign of a keen mind. My mother always did say that I was the attentive one, so you can put that in your pipe and smoke it…" His grasp on the wheel had loosened slightly, just enough for the jeep-like vehicle to angle two wheels into the adjacent lane. A horn blared and Neil gasped just before jerking the vehicle back with a squeal of tires. The driver next to them cut hard over, but not before making an obscene gesture.

The corporal hunched his shoulders against the mild uproar among his passengers (and against the glare that Captain Edwards shot him) and focused on the road ahead. The tops of his ears were the color of beets.

Seated all the way in the back, Atwood looked over and saw that Eri had unfastened her seatbelt, stood up as well as she could and dropped her pants, and to Tyler's shock she was mooning the same driver who had laid on his horn. She followed up this display with a double helping of the bird.

"Eri, what the hell are you doing?" he hissed, grabbing her sleeve. Nobody else had noticed her antics…yet. "Sit your ass back down before you fall out, ya moron!"

"An asshole like that guy out there deserves to see a real one," she said. She wiggled her butt again and peeked over her shoulder, relishing the look of utter astonishment on the other driver's face, which had rapidly turned red. Maybe he'd have a stroke or something…

"What's going on back there?" Cheyenne was turning around, casting an eye towards the back seat and its occupants. Tyler cleared his throat and met her stern gaze. "Um, er…nothing, captain." Out of the corner of his eye he was relieved to note that Eri was sitting again, pants where they belonged; she was looking at Broderick with chaste doe eyes. "Something wrong, ma'am?" she chirped.

Broderick gave her a skeptical look, then shook her head before turning to face forward again. "Kids these day, I swear…"

With a nightmarish cry the humanoid phantom attacked. Its zombie-like lope was more menacing than a flat-out run. Suddenly, tentacles erupted from its right arm, doubling, then tripling in length as it groped towards the unfortunate victim…

Dr. Sid froze the hologram floating in the middle of the council chamber. The shaken X-COM squad recovered their collective breath as they got their first good look at the spiritual invader. It towered over them, glowing in its own strange amber light. It was like looking at a living x-ray; one could easily make out the asymmetrical skeleton and its internal organs. A most remarkable feature was the creature's brain­, situated not in its small skull but instead enclosed within a large hump upon its shoulders. Above an elongated proboscis, the expressionless face was devoid of any familiar features.

Sid's voice resonated throughout the hall. "This is just one of the several types of aliens that devastated the earth, barely a year ago. They were invisible, undead creatures composed of living energy. We called them phantoms."

Hughes felt his neck hairs stand up. It was he who had fancifully (or so he thought) thought up the name of X-COM's prototype strike craft. His sidelong glance at his companions went unnoticed as Dr. Sid sat down, and now Aki stood and addressed them, her voice clear. "The phantoms arrived here in late 2031, during the most active Leonid meteor shower ever recorded. The meteor that landed was actually a piece of their homeworld, which they had destroyed in a cataclysmic war."

The terrifying figure vanished and was replaced by a representation of the earth. From a spot somewhere in the Middle East, a blood-red circle abruptly appeared and expanded. Relevant data scrolled up one side of the display.

"Within months, they began spreading out from the impact crater in the Caspian Mountains and established several nests across the planet." Ominous scarlet patches mushroomed on several major continents. Counters began appearing at numerous cities nearest the scattered phantom nests. Nobody had to be told that the ever-increasing numbers represented fatalities. And when Aki explained that the available defenses of the time were useless against the aliens, Broderick felt her skin ripple into gooseflesh. Over the next hour, the X-COM captain and her squad was told about the groundbreaking discovery of bioetheric energy, and how it was adapted for both defense and offense for the barrier cities and military use, respectively; the histories of the four disastrous Phantom Cleansing Missions; General Hein's ill-fated project, the Zeus Cannon; the discovery of Gaia and the collection of the eight spirits used to neutralize the phantoms. The heroism of the Deep Eyes was touched upon, but of course their sacrifices were omitted.

When the presentation ended, silence reigned for a brief while. Some of the council members cleared their throats, coughed into closed fists and shuffled uncomfortably, having remembered too vividly the doctor's account. As for the Black Ops, they at first said nothing…the full impact of the Phantom War was still sinking in.

"Jesus…_30 million _people remaining…just 90 cities left," Broderick whispered, clearly shaken.

"Captain?" Lanier's dark brown eyes were on her.

"I'm fine. These people have been through a struggle as bitter as any of ours. Worse, even." Cheyenne stood and swept the Houston council, Dr. Sid and Dr. Ross, and the Deep Eyes with her gaze. "It's time to tell of the Alien Wars, and how X-COM came to be." Willing her voice to be confident and strong, she delved into her memory and began her tale.


	6. Cheyenne's Story

**Disclaimer: **FF:TSW characters are property of Square. X-COM is property of Microprose/Infogrames.

**Author's note: **In this chapter, the origins of X-COM are revealed.

**Cheyenne's Story**

"'X-COM', the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, was founded by the UN Security Council in Geneva, Switzerland, in December of 1998, following reports of increased UFO activity and human abductions worldwide. Diplomacy had failed, and the First Alien War was declared January 1st, 1999. X-COM was mainly financed via funds provided by countries where most successful interceptions occurred. We established bases, scrambled at first warnings…but the aliens got bolder and began launching terror raids and outright attacks. As we fought on into the new millennium, our scientists examined captured alien equipment and began cataloging the many alien species. We reverse-engineered their technology to use to our advantage, and compiled a huge database, the 'UFOpedia', but we realized that this was still not enough–more alien bases were cropping up and we needed a big break. That came in 2002 when we finally captured an Ethereal Commander. Following the interrogation we found out that their key base was located on Mars, in a region called Cydonia. We geared up, sending several Avengers and heavily armed strike teams to the planet. The final battle took three days and we suffered heavy losses, but when the leader of the invading forces–a huge brain-like creature–was found and destroyed, the war was over.

"Over the next few years, remaining X-COM agents were released, hardware auctioned off, bases dismantled, and research staff and engineers either returned to civilian duty or retired outright. A few aquatic bases were built to seek out downed UFO's. The main headquarters, Ocean Base 1, was operated under the corporate label of Sub-Oceanic Reconnaissance and Extraterrestrial Salvage Operation, or S.O.R.E.S.O. The goal was to locate and secure as much Elerium-115 as possible. However, it was discovered that upon exposure to seawater, the mineral disintegrated and was useless. Meanwhile, the world was entering a time of turmoil. Violence, pollution and overpopulation began to increase. The world governments turned their attention to these issues…another alien invasion was the furthest thing from their minds. But in 2039, surface vessels and aircraft began to vanish, more often than not while traveling on or over the oceans. Near the Titanic wreck site S.O.R.E.S.O. lost one of their submarines, the Khimtar. The pilot managed to send a single message:

"'I think they're back.'

"This incident ramped up a worldwide recruitment effort and Ocean Base 1 was christened as X-COM's new base. Another submersible, one of our Barracudas, disappeared after replying to an SOS from a passenger liner. The sub and its pilot were never recovered. In 2041 we entered the Second Alien War, but the main difference was that the attacks were centered in and near the seas. Most of the weapons developed during the first conflict didn't work under water. We had to rely on crude weaponry…spear guns, harpoon and torpedo launchers. Once again the aliens had a leg up on us, until we were able to replicate their sonic-based technology and employ the power of Zbrite, which was the only viable power source. In 2046, after five years of fighting, we discovered the location of the aliens' hidden base. It was here on earth, a huge colony ship named T'Leth. It had been awakened by a distress beacon activated by the alien brain on Mars, just prior to its elimination. The only vessel that was capable of reaching it in the Sigsbee Deep was our new Leviathan attack sub. The aquanauts made an assault, locating the reanimation chamber and destroyed the power nodes of a giant tentacled alien being, just as the colony ship was about to surface. With the destruction of this ship killed all the soldiers aboard, but all remaining alien forces died as well. Unfortunately, though, the T'leth explosion contaminated the atmosphere and hundreds of thousands of people suffered in the areas bordering the Gulf of Mexico. It took almost a year for decon crews to make the region remotely habitable again. Combined with the deteriorating economy, worldwide hunger, and the discovery that after the destruction of the alien molecular control network all remaining Zbrite supplies were inert, it was a bittersweet victory.

"From 2047 to 2053, X-COM was able to survive thanks to shifting to a business strategy. The Transtellar Corporation developed their Mark I Conversion Drive prototype in 2054. By mid 2060 spaceports, a permanent lunar settlement and three mining colonies in the asteroid belt were a reality, helping to ease conditions on the nearly depleted earth. With the exception of Kabron Pirate raids, and the mysterious loss of the cruiser UGS Patton, things were beginning to improve…a huge Elerium cache was discovered on Mars and a mining colony established. We launched interstellar probes in hopes of finding more resources and areas suitable for colonization. One probe reported favorable conditions from a globular cluster 00 light-years away. Several star systems there showed signs of minerals, materials, and even traces of Elerium. By late 2066 outposts began operating in that region of space, known as the Frontier, and X-COM started their interceptor patrols January 1st, 2067. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the alien menace once again materialized, but this time we were on their turf, and along with our old friends the Sectiods, Ethereals and Mutons, there were the telepathic Psilords, and Aerons, genetically-engineered alien ace pilots that caused us no end of trouble. We managed to raid or destroy their ore processing centers, outposts, even a couple of bases, before we found out what they were really up to.

"Our scientists intercepted a series of alien transmissions in May of 2067. By your current calendar, last month! After breaking the encryption, we deduced that they were constructing a massive weapon, a "Doomsday Machine" in an alternative universe–naturally, given the relationship between them and us, this device could only serve a single purpose. We captured many freighters they were using to transport the components, but they always found some way to replace them. The last bit of news that was making the rounds was that the entrance to the alien universe had been located, and plans were being made for a final assault. It was imperative that this Doomsday Machine be destroyed."

Almost an hour later and General Tobias leaned back in his chair, silently mulling over the holographic text that hung before him. He pursed his lips, rereading the last paragraph, then continued. The next sentence was a question asked by the general himself:

How did you and the aliens come to be here?

"During the Black Phantom's shakedown run near Mars, we received an distress signal from a mining outpost near the asteroid belt. By the time we arrived, the aliens had already destroyed it. We engaged, but they activated some sort of powerful hyperdrive. We thought we were at safe distance but we were caught in the jump point's backwash and we were pulled in. Lanier thinks that the UFO has a drive system that allows some type of dimensional travel, but since it was damaged by our attack, it created a flawed jump. That's why we emerged in your atmosphere."

Another alien war…hyperspace travel…dimensions crossed. And another earth. This seemed to be the stuff of fantasy and fiction, and Tobias whistled softly to himself. Across the room Schaeffer raised a questioning eyebrow. The general stopped the playback, got up and went to the window, tugging a cord to open his office blinds. The high noon sunlight slanted in, dispelling the dimness and throwing slats of light on the expensive rug. He turned, his hands clasped behind him, and looked at the sizeable USMF emblem that adorned the wall above his chair.

"So…what do you think, major?" he asked.

Schaeffer poured a glass of ice water and setting the ornate crystal pitcher down. "Quite a tale, sir. If what they say is true, they come from an earth embroiled in its third battle against aliens. Now, were I were a misanthropist like a couple of our council members, I would dare say that it's quite a tall tale. But, take their craft, for example. No one we know has that kind of technology."

"Indeed. Imagine if we did have that level in our battle against the Phantoms. Would the war have been briefer, I wonder?"

The major sat and regarded her superior with a insightful gaze. "Even if it were, there would have been other conflicts. You know how humankind is. Especially when it comes to possession of superior technology. Man's worst enemy is, in the end, man himself."

"Agreed. We've been through enough already. Just so–" Just then the desk comlink chirped and he addressed the air. "Yes?"

"Captain Broderick and Captain Edwards have arrived, sir," the receptionist said, her voice sounding tinny from the small speaker.

He glanced at the antique clock sitting on a shelf. "Send them in, please."

"Yes sir."

A moment later the door slid open, and two captains saluted, but the general chuckled. "No need for formalities. Have a seat, both of you." He took his own advice and perched his tall frame on the corner of his desk. "An impressive account of X-COM, captain."

She nodded, not mincing words. "Now you know why we exist, and the potential threat you face, sir."

This earned a wry look from the major. "Bear in mind," she cautioned, "that there are those on the council who still have reservations."

Broderick shifted her gaze to her. "With all due respect, major, they're whistling past the graveyard! Have them take another look at our combat footage, and the recording that the Deep Eyes got of us fighting that UFO when we arrived here. And what's to say that there are no such aliens existing here, in this dimension–"

Tobias waved a hand. "Don't let her get to you. She likes to play the devil's advocate from time to time. Now, we've sent out patrol craft, and have tracking satellites on full alert for that ship. So far we've come up empty-handed. I suppose it's too much to hope that they've simply left?"

"They're still around, I'm sure of it. They are curious about this world and will stay, if only to see what resources can be exploited. They're probably landed somewhere and are repairing their vessel, especially in light of the pasting we gave them. It would be just like them to have their cloak running day and night."

"'Cloak?' Then that explains why Neil thought he was seeing things?" Gray inquired.

"Yes. After we had landed and detected his approach, Lanier activated the Black Phantom's cloaking device as a precaution. But I had him turn it off…I trust my instincts, general," she explained. The major dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement.

Languidly, Tobias eased off of his desk and walked back to his chair; the leather creaked when he settled himself into it. He appeared to be in deep thought. "In addition to battling these aliens ship-to-ship, you said that you've also been aboard their bases?"

"Yes. My team was one of three on a mission to infiltrate and disable an alien base, in order to secure a crucial sector of the Frontier. There were…casualties, as in any war, but the mission was a success."

"I see. And there's one other thing I was curious about…your special operations title? How is it different from X-COM proper? "

"We're still a division of X-COM, sir. The Black Ops was formed to deal with the Kabron Pirates–human outlaws and criminals operating from a hidden base and running an illegal arms market. They regularly plundered our freighters, attacked our outposts, and caused general mayhem, at a time when we least needed it. In addition to regular patrols and duties, we had to respond to pirate strikes. Rumor had it that they were in league with the aliens…with access to alien arms and knowledge of our operations, they were in many ways more dangerous than the aliens themselves. Several of their operatives posed as regular personnel, but we managed to root out most of their spies who were tried as executed as traitors. Believe me, between the bandits and the aliens we had plenty to keep us busy."

Gray quietly listened to all of this. While he greatly admired Cheyenne's spirit and dedication, he felt a growing unease. Aki had tried so hard and sacrificed so much to ensure the earth's survival, and now the planet was again threatened. He cleared his throat. "Sir, it seems clear to me that we assist X-COM in any way possible. After all, they do have the experience and knowledge of this enemy."

The general placed his elbows upon the polished oak of his desktop, interlaced his long fingers and looked from one captain to another. Then he looked at Schaeffer before his gaze met Broderick's. _History is being made today, _he thought. "I have no objections to your proposal, Captain Edwards. Captain Broderick?"

Relief appeared on her face. "I agree! We'll help you defeat these invaders, general, if you can find some way for us to return home."

"You're in luck. We have two of the finest right scientific minds right here in Houston. As a matter of fact you've already met them."

It took a minute for the comment to register. "You mean…?"

He reached over and pushed something across to her. Curious, she picked it up. It was a holographic photo mounted in a small frame of black plastic. She peered closer at the pair of figures within–and yes, there they were, Dr. Ross and Dr. Sid at some sort of awards ceremony. Between them they held a large inscribed plaque. Aki's smile looked a bit shy; her elder mentor's grin was concealed for the most part beneath his gray whiskers.

"That was at the honorary recognition banquet last year," Gray said. He had been there, of course, having taken that picture himself. The award itself hung in Aki and Sid's office.

Broderick placed the holograph back on the desk. Her tone was mild. "We'll need all the help we can get. Atwood's interceptor suffered some minor damage, but it should be repairable." She hesitated. "And we have to find some way to refuel. I…suppose that you don't have anything akin to Elerium, do you?" The blank expression the three others traded answered her question. Cheyenne bit the inside of her lip, and spoke again.

"That's what I was afraid of. As I was saying, we'll need all the help we can get…"


	7. Elerium115

**Disclaimer: **FF:TSW characters are property of Square. X-COM is property of Microprose/Infogrames.

**Author's Note: **Nothing really to say here. So sit down & read it, lol.

**Elerium-115**

Nose twitching, the rat squatted back on his haunches. His whiskers trembled and his black eyes were wide in the dim underground light. Something was coming down the series of concrete switch-backed ramps that led to the subterranean storage facility three levels down, making the floor shake. A faint roar echoed and grew and a glow illuminated the wall at the top of the nearest incline. Suddenly, a military jeep roared around the corner, tires protesting, but its driver counter-steered and deftly brought it back into line. The terrified rodent would have become road kill had he not darted for cover. The taillights flared, washing everything in red as the vehicle reached another bend and vanished around it, sending back another howl of tires and leaving behind a reek of rubber and tortured brakes.

Sitting in a rear seat, Lanier had to narrow his watering eyes against the windblast. "How much further?"

Neil raised his voice above the engine's bellow. "Hang on, guys! We're almost there!" In the back of the jeep, Matt, Martin and Tyler held on for dear life as they all caught a little airtime over an expansion joint.

"The sooner the better!" Hughes shouted back as they landed and bounced a bit. They rounded a final bend, and at the end of a long corridor ahead was a door painted in yellow and black diagonals. Above it an orange warning light glowed. The driver, however, didn't slow–in fact they accelerated.

Tyler's eyes went wide in alarm. "_Hey!_"

They were almost at the end of the corridor, and Neil grinned. "Watch this!" The brakes suddenly locked and front wheels cut to the right as the rear end came around. They slid sideways right up to the door with a half-meter to spare. As its suspension settled and the engine was shut down Neil looked comically at his passengers behind him. Hughes dumbly stared back at the driver, jaw agape; Lanier was coughing and flapping a hand, unsuccessfully trying to dispel a cloud of acrid tire smoke. Atwood had vanished…no, there he was, or at least some of him–eight white knuckles were clutching the sides of a seat. Then his dark blue eyes warily appeared over the top edge.

Martin laughed and clapped the lanky pilot on the back. "Ty…you mean to tell us that you can fearlessly chuck an interceptor into a furball but suffer from a little car-sickness? What a nancy boy!"

He tried to gather his wits. "Car-sickness, my ass! That was a hell of a way to parallel park," he groused, scrabbling for the seat belt release. He finally managed to unlock it and rose on shaky legs before letting himself out, relieved to feel solid ground beneath his feet.

Neil looked over at the driver. "You know, doc, the general's gonna have your head on a platter if he ever finds out how you're treating military property."

Aki grinned back wickedly and brushed a sheaf of stray hair aside. "Then I'll have company, because yours will be right beside it. Who do you think taught me to drive like a maniac?" They both unbuckled and got out and Neil went up to the door. Okay, now what was that code again? Oh, right, Jane's birth date. He blocked the view of the keypad with his body and punched in the access code, then jabbed the largest key–unlike the fancy holographic controls elsewhere, this control pad used old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness buttons. They were covered in grime, and most of the fingerprints were his. There was a delay as the security system tried to make up its mind to accept the password or not, and then with a hum the door slid open. The darkness beyond was cool and smelled oily.

Neil gesticulated grandly and gave a silly bow. "Hey-presto! Gentlemen–and lady–welcome to my realm!" He ambled in, throwing some wall switches just beside the doorway. Clusters of overhead lights cast down bright pools, chasing away the gloominess in the wide, low-ceilinged space. However, not all shadows were banished. Sitting smack in the middle of the floor, watched over by surveillance cameras up in the corners and partially surrounded by hastily rearranged crates, cargo containers and empty ovo-pack cylinders, were the two X-COM ships.

He felt like a kid in a candy shop. They had entered through the back way of his little retreat, where he often tinkered in his spare time. The repository supervisor looked the other way–for a nominal fee, of course–whenever the tech dropped a hint that he was going to "take a break." And when he did venture down here he also brought along his little homemade security program that handled the surveillance system, creating a feedback loop that made it appear as if the place were vacant.

_Now that was a stroke of pure genius,_ he thought, satisfied with himself. Almost no piece of hardware was safe from his insatiable curiosity…the more complex it was, the better. Not too long ago he really had a wild hair–he towed a Copperhead into the main lift, brought it down here, and began to hot-rod the ramjets. Neil's excuse was that he merely filed his actions under the 'maintenance/upgrade' category, but someone (probably the deck officer) had blabbed and the captain had found out. But instead of reading him the riot act, Gray had thought about it, and the tech had wound up, ears burning, explaining himself in the general's office. As it was he thanked his lucky stars that he was sweating it out in front of Tobias and not Hein; he was let off with a stern warning. Then the other shoe dropped and the captain had spent the following month watching him like a hawk. This equaled no wrenching. It also meant that he and Jane couldn't sneak off anywhere for an occasional little rendezvous, and his frustration had nearly driven her nuts. But now all of that was conveniently forgotten because here before him were two of the most sophisticated flying machines he had ever seen. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to visualize what made them tick.

Beside him, Aki felt wonderment too. "So, what's the plan?"

Lanier reached up to give the Black Phantom's fuselage an affectionate pat. "Go over the ships and repair the Super Avenger. But first, we're going to pull some Elerium." He strolled towards the front of the ship. "See, we can fly on regular fuel but without Elerium, we can't venture outside earth's atmosphere, our phase cannon has severely diminished range and power, and shields are inoperative. I doubt if the cloaking device will even work. And Elerium can't be 'recharged' like, say a battery. Once it's used up, it must be replaced."

Neil winced. "Ouch."

"Exactly. It's a good thing it's long-lived. Naturally occurring Elerium is extremely rare, but the GSC scientists perfected a synthetic variety type last year. With this sample we can provide you, hopefully something similar can be produced, and soon." His expression was solemn. "We don't know where the aliens are now, and if, when or where they will strike. We've got to be ready."

"Is it safe to handle?" Aki wondered aloud.

"Oh, absolutely. If you're worried about radioactivity or anything like that, don't be. Give me a minute." He withdrew a compact device from a pocket no larger than a key card. Pointing it at the ship he thumbed a button. There was a chirp; just below the cockpit canopy a panel opened and a rod telescoped down, stopping about a half meter above the floor. Short perpendicular bars created a ladder that he proceeded to mount. He climbed up to the cockpit, thumbed his controller again, and part of the canopy hissed open. He reached in and fiddled around with something–from below Neil couldn't tell what, but then the next moment he appeared to be done. "Okay. Security systems disabled."

Hughes crooked a finger at Aki and Neil. "This way, please." They had to stoop slightly–Atwood especially–as they neared the belly of the ship. He pressed his fingers against a certain spot on the hull's smooth black surface and a panel slid open. Behind it was a chrome handle. He grasped it and pulled in one smooth motion, and a gunmetal cylinder slid out about a meter, stopping with a click. There were several seams running down its length, as they would have been nearly invisible had it not been for the barely-discernable threads of light trickling along their edges. Whatever was in there was a powerful source of energy; Aki could almost feel it.

"Doctor, if you would be so kind? Just press that recessed button there."

She did so. The cylinder's eight panels spread wide like flower petals, and she found herself squinting at an orb of amber light as large as her head. For a split second her breath caught, because its shade was disturbingly familiar.

It was the same color as a phantom spirit!

But as her initial shock wore off and her eyes grew accustomed to it, she could see that it roiled with faint yellows and reds, too. Not only that, it was resonating steadily with a sub-aural hum. Behind her, Neil peeked over her shoulder and whistled in awe.

Matt reached up into the hull's innards and manipulated something else. The inner container dropped down further and the clamps retracted. "This is it. Refined Elerium-115. Whatever disturbance we came through drained most of it, somehow. Go ahead, you can remove it."

Following his directions Aki grasped the pod. After a slight tug, it came free from its shock cradle, weighing less than she had expected, and she carefully set it down on the floor; its upper end reached about mid-thigh. Like the shielded container that had housed it, the pod was cylindrical, its main body constructed of a clear material that felt cool and slippery. Thick metal plates capped its ends and were coupled by eight equilaterally arranged rods. Inside all of this the energy ball floated like a wraith. She knelt to take a closer look.

"The primary chamber is made of transparent alloy. The Elerium itself is suspended in a stasis field produced by generators in the end caps," Lanier continued. "The Black Phantom carries ten pods total. The Super Avenger over there–" he pointed to the interceptor a few paces away– "uses six."

Hughes closed the pod cradle and pushed it back up into the body of the craft and Neil crouched beside Aki, the glow making strange shadows on their faces. He held a tentative hand out but felt nothing…odd, since all the ovo-packs he had ever seen radiated at least some warmth. His gray eyes glanced sidelong; Aki's face wore a curious expression that he had never seen before. A little concerned, he nudged her gently. "Hey, doc? You awake?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Looked like you were in a trance, or something." He turned to Martin. "You sure that thing isn't hypnotic?"

The X-COM tech laid a chummy hand on his shoulder. "Neil…don't worry! Say, could you use a hand with that, doctor?"

She stood, the Elerium sphere shining like a small beacon at her feet. "Thanks, but I'm fine–I was just thinking, that's all. Dr. Sid will be very intrigued!" She carefully picked it up and began to head back towards the bay entrance and the jeep waiting just outside.

"Don't try and beat my time going back up!" Neil called after her.

Aki laughed as she secured her invaluable load in the passenger seat, unpacked a cargo web from the vehicle's toolkit and secured the tough mesh over the pod. She slipped behind the wheel and strapped herself in.

"I'll be in the lab. Call me when you're finished, and I'll be back down to give you a lift." She started the engine, turning to drive away back down the corridor, but at a much more sedate pace this time. Standing beneath the wing, Hughes watched her go until the taillights disappeared.

"Now _she _can resuscitate me any time!" He jerked a thumb in the direction of the door. "So, Neil, buddy…what's her deal?"

Beside him Tyler shook his head and rolled his eyes heavenward. "Oh, God, here we go...unbelievable."

"What?" Neil felt left out of some inside joke. Lanier was still within earshot, and let him in on it. His voice was cool as ever, but his brown eyes danced merrily.

"It appears that our resident computer systems whiz has the hots for your doctor. Mr. Hughes is X-COM's designated skirt-chaser whenever he's off-duty. We don't call him 'Horndog' for nothing." He chuffed laughter as walked round to the Phantom's rear entrance, opening it and disappearing inside. "Let's get to work, guys."

Neil chuckled and Martin's puppy-dog look slipped as he sensed something amiss. "Okay, what gives?"

He was answered with a cackle.

"Waitaminute, she taken?" His face abruptly looked pinched. "Who's the lucky guy, then? You? Or that old dude she's with?"

Fleming almost choked. "Christ, _no!"_ he spluttered. "Dr. Sid is like a father to her!"

"Well then, _who, _dammit?_"_

He beamed with good humor. "Dr. Ross is in cahoots with the captain."

"Captain?"

Tyler gave his bamboozled squad mate a smack on the back of the head. "Jesus, you're as dumb as a stone boatCaptain _Edwards! _She's his girl, man!"

Digesting this bit of bad news, Martin's face fell sulkily. Then he brightened and gave Neil a crafty look.

"Does she have a sister?" he asked slyly.

Aki was nearly back to the base's ground level again, but spying a turnout before the last exit she pulled over and parked but left the engine running, and looked over the Elerium pod for a long moment. She slid a fingertip through the netting and touched the housing again, and her eyes started to glaze. It felt warm, but not in the manner that bio-etheric energy did, just…different. Her curiosity was stronger now.

_Strange, _she mused. _If this is merely a mineral, and not organic, then why do I feel something odd about it?_

She mentally shook herself with a jerk and snapped out of her reverie. She was eager get back to the lab where the testing could get underway. They might get some answers there, so she hastened her pace.

A little further up her jeep rolled through a patch of gloom where some of the ramp's overhead lighting had burned out. This barely registered on her preoccupied mind. But had she glanced in the rear-view mirror upon emerging from the dimness, she might or might not have noticed the shadow that detached itself from the others behind a support column. It silently watched until she was out of sight, and then merged back into the darkness again.

Broderick leaned against the balcony outside of her quarters, holding a cup of coffee, and took in the Houston skyline. A breeze teased her auburn hair, which was hastily caught up in a ponytail. She was still trying to get used to seeing a metropolis that was different and yet similar to the one that she used to visit…strange new city above, familiar old one below. _Back home, in _our_ world, all of this was evacuated after the T'Leth explosion at the end of the second war._

"That has got to be the weirdest damn architecture I've ever seen," Eri commented from beside her, also gazing at the city. Her eyes shifted to track what looked like a cargo plane approaching from the south.

"Well, according to what we've been told, they built that city on top of the old one. Their barrier totally contained the new one on all sides in order to keep the phantoms out."

Harper shivered. "And _all _of their cities were built like that? I couldn't live in a bubble. I'd rather die fighting than waste my life in a…a cage."

"Sometimes life doesn't hand you much of a choice."

She sniffed, and it sounded more like a snort. "You sound like Matt."

"Hmmm, I suppose so." Broderick and Lanier had a solid working relationship, but it went no further than that despite what others read into it. He was five years older, a close friend and confidante, and sometimes said things that were a bit on the deep side, but they made sense when she took time to think about it. She sometimes joked that he acted like a wayward monk. "So, what do you think so far?"

"About what?"

Cheyenne swept a hand across the railing, encompassing all that could be seen in an expressive gesture. "About all of this? We haven't even been here 24 hours, yet who would think–no, believe that we're in _Houston_, of all places? I remember hearing about possible alternate realities, parallel universes and whatnot, but to actually experience it firsthand…"

Harper cupped her chin in one hand. Then her eyes twinkled impishly. "Can't tell you for certain…but Neil is cute!"

The X-COM captain shook her head. "I would advise you to stow the raging hormones. We're here to do a job, not chase guys. And once that's done, we won't be staying. Besides, what if he's already taken?"

"Well then, I'll just have to take him away from her," she smirked. "That's the challenge, isn't it?"

"You'll do no such thing. Your brains must still scrambled from that hit you took!" Just then there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Harper said eagerly. Maybe it was Neil! She dashed back into the apartment and opened it, only to find the imposing figure of Ryan in the hallway, carrying a nondescript rucksack. _Damn. _Then she also saw the Deep Eyes' sole female member standing just behind him holding an oblong case, and in spite of her disappointment she felt her curiosity rise.

"Ah, sergeant! We've been waiting." Cheyenne had stepped in off the balcony and shook his hand warmly, greeting Jane the same way. Then she eyed the packages that her guests placed on the table. Ryan favored her with a smile. "Captain Edwards thought it would be best if we familiarize each other with our weaponry." He turned to his companion. "Jane? Ladies first."

"My pleasure." She unlatched the case, raised the lid and lifted out a sizeable rifle, hefting it with obvious practice. "This is the nocturne, the USMF's primary assault weapon. Twelve-gauge, Oersted-induced, with a magnetic-flux aligned barrel and powered by a high-capacity bio-etheric ovo-pack, fitted here." She indicated the vacant space in front of the trigger.

Broderick's brows knit. "There's that word again, 'bio-etheric'. What is it?"

Ryan rummaged around in his bag, found a small, flat rectangular case and handed it over to Jane, who slapped it into the nocturne's loading port. "Well, I'm no scientist, but essentially it's power derived from living organisms. I'm sure that Dr. Ross and Dr. Sid would gladly sit you down and lecture for hours on end about it." He dipped into his bag again and brought out a light gray cylinder. The slots in its sides glowed softly with a bluish light. "Me, I just keep the team in line when the captain isn't here."

"This bio-whatever…it runs all of your technology?" Broderick inquired. "How can you utilize energy from something that's alive? I mean, come on, unless you have hamsters running in wheels day and night."

The sergeant bellowed laughter. "You'll have to get the details from the doctors, ma'am! I wish I knew where to begin."

"How about with that!" Harper's eyes had fixed on something familiar. Poking out from the bag was the pommel of a knife. She grabbed it.

"Harper! Don't be rude!" Broderick snapped.

Eri grinned. "Ceramic-alloy sheath." She located the release catch and thumbed it, withdrawing the weapon, giving the naked blade a professional appraisal. "Hmmm. Timascus…looks like CP and 6AL4V alloy. Nice honing job, whoever maintains this cares about it." She ran her bare thumb along the edge of the blade and was not at all concerned when a red line appeared on the pad of her digit. Ryan glanced at Jane, who replied with a shrug.

She slipped the knife back into its holder, looking at it wistfully. "I want one!"

"You already have quite a few, if I recall." Broderick held her hand out. "So stop moping and hand it over. We have a lot of ground to cover." Pouting, the shorter woman hesitantly relinquished the weapon and her captain in turn returned it to the sergeant. Ryan accepted his knife back with good graces and let his typical altruistic nature take over.

"You seem to know your stuff. Tell you what…later on today I'll see what I can do about obtaining a 'spare' one. Will that work?"

Harper's eyes lit up but before she could say anything Broderick's communicator warbled. A glance at the wrist device's caller window revealed Lanier's code. "Broderick here," she answered, all business.

"Captain, repairs to the Super Avenger are complete. We're almost done giving the Phantom a going-over."

"Give me a sitrep."

A slight delay: "We're out of missiles and fusion balls, and our phase cannon probably couldn't do anything more than tickle that UFO."

Broderick swore under her breath. "Is there any _good_ news?"

"Well…the corporal thinks he can somehow adapt some of the USMF missiles to fit our ships, and we're going to test some of the fuel here to see if we at least can get some flight time without burning up what's left of the Elerium. Speaking of which, Dr. Ross took a pod up to the lab for analysis, as per your orders."

"Keep me posted on your progress."

"Yes ma'am. Lanier out." The channel remained open for a second longer, and the four people around the table could hear something like an electrical discharge in the background, followed by a familiar yelp. "You said the _blue_ wire..!"

"If he keeps that up he's going to fry every brain cell he's got!" Jane said through a half-grin.

"C'mon now. You know Neil loves you, in a bumbling sort of way," Ryan rejoined. He brought something else out of his bag and began explaining its functions, but Eri didn't hear it, instead glancing sidelong at Proudfoot as a little worm of jealousy began to gnaw at her heart.


	8. Top Gun Tyler

**Disclaimer: **FF:TSWcharacters are not mine. But I freely take creative license with characters based on the X-COM game.

**Author's note: **The youngest Black Ops member gets a chance to strut his stuff…

**Top Gun Tyler**

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Ryan commented, grateful that the air-scrubber in his half-helmet was working. Before him the remains of several animals lay scattered on the grass of the Wyoming wildlife sanctuary, and the flies had already started to gather.

"What've you got, sergeant?"

His mouth turned down in distaste behind his mike. "Dead cattle, captain. They, uh–they're not in very good shape."

"Say again?"

He could almost visualize Gray's face creasing in a perplexed frown, hovering over the comm console back in Houston.

"See for yourself." He activated the small video camera built into his helmet and slowly panned around, as what he saw was transmitted back to headquarters. The range caretaker, his face still pale, took care to stay out of the picture. Earlier this morning several transponder signals had vanished from his board. Not happy to have this happen on his shift, he fired up the maintenance flyer and grudgingly went out into the cold pre-dawn twilight, zigzagging across the fields of somnolent herds. Finally, in a remote corner of the range, he had found something that had caused him to hustle back and put in a panicky call to his supervisor. The report was quickly relayed to the Eco Recovery Department, and X-COM was rapidly notified.

Feeling that his point had been made Ryan ended the transmission and apprehensively clutched his weapon. It looked like a nocturne, until one noticed the power cable connecting it to a bulky power supply within the backpack, for now it discharged powerful laser bolts instead of bioetheric energy.

Aki's voice came in over the channel. "Sergeant, can you get a closer view? From what I can see, this was no animal attack. A predator kills for food, and isn't wasteful. It certainly wouldn't leave its victims like this," she commented.

A particularly friendly fly was flirting with Jane, and as she shooed it away she noted that two of those present had drifted away. "What are you guys doing?" She became appalled when it became evident what Hughes and Fleming were up to: having walked over to another carcass they were attempting to flip it over. Were it not for the bizarreness of the situation they could have been a couple of students engaged in the time-honored prank of cow-tipping…except that in this case, the unfortunate bovine was obviously quite deceased, for not only had it had been skinned, it was also headless.

Fleming grimaced as his gauntlets became smeared with gore. "Jesus, what a mess! Do we really have to do this?"

Martin eyed him from behind the open faceshield of his helmet. "The answer, for the record, is yes, because I want to check something. Don't be such a pussy. Now, on three. Ready? One…two…_three!" _They both heaved. Legs comically stiff, the corpse flopped over with a repulsive thud. A cloud of complaining swarm of flies arose before settling back down.

Neil hastily wiped his palms on the grass. He was revolted._ Yuck! I am not cut out for this! _He was about to voice his objection when he saw the look on his teammates' faces. Turning, he followed their gaze and took an involuntary step backwards. The animal's entire flank was gone, exposing a gaping body cavity. The ribs had been cleanly cut through, and every internal organ was missing.

Martin nodded. "You know, I thought this one was lying just a little too low." He glanced at Ryan, who had scrunched up his face. Then another thud made them all look up to see the groundskeeper lying flat on his back. He had fainted.

"What a wuss!" Eri scoffed

After the groundskeeper had recovered and returned, a bit unsteadily, to the main building, the group convened inside the Copperhead.

"This has all the makings of classic alien activity." Hughes said, leaning against the cabin wall and cupping a chin with his hand. Then he noted the blank looks. "What? Don't you guys have stories of cattle mutilation, people being abducted, women giving birth to hybrids, yadda-yadda?"

"Ask Dr. Sid. He's the old-timer. Bet he'd know about this kind've stuff," Neil mused, looking at the insulated container near the back of the cargo hold. Within it was the last dead animal that they had found, cryogenically preserved courtesy of a liquid oxygen line tapped from the ship's coolant system. The others were due to be buried where they lay.

"You never paid attention during his lectures?" Jane was sitting beside him and gave him a nudge, her armor making a tinny clank against his. "Sleeping again, huh?" Neil jostled her back.

Martin chuckled. Eri sat silently beside him, watching the exchange, her face expressionless.

"Ahem". Ryan cleared his throat before the two got into a full-on shoving match, and addressed the holo-board that sat in the middle of the floor. Above it Aki's face floated on the small screen. "So, doc. What do you think?"

"Well, if these aliens are responsible, and evidence strongly suggests so, they removed the organs in a professional manner. The edges of the bones display indication of a surgical cutting beam, narrow-focus and short-ranged, but powerful. This was no hasty amateur job. You said that there was no blood?"

Ryan nodded and leaning back in his seat. "None. Very little in the body or on the ground, for that matter. And their transponder implants are missing, too."

"Odd. Anyway…I want that specimen returned as soon as possible."

Neil got to his feet. "We're on our way, doc," he chirped as Aki's image winked out.

"_I _think our buddies have been on a little shopping spree. They like to start with the lower life forms first." Eri's seawater-green eyes were as flat as her voice and she idly checked the settings on her plasma rifle. "As soon as they finish analyzing their data, they're going to move on up to harvesting humans. Wait and see if they don't"

Jane suppressed a shiver, because the statement had been said very matter-of-factly. "Then we'll have to stop them before they do so. But we'll still have to find them first, and that's the problem now."

"Sucks to be you, then."

The remark lit Jane's short fuse and she was on her feet in an instant, shrugging off Neil's restraining hand. "You know, if you weren't such a little smartass, I'd–"

Harper's lips curved in a smirk. "You'd what? Learn to finish your sentences?"

With a sigh Ryan interposed himself between them. "Whoa, whoa, Jane…stand down. We all need to work together here, all right?" He threw a meaningful glance at Eri, who replied with an "who-me?" shrug. Barely reining in her temper, the corporal took her seat, hackles still up and jaw clenched. Her glare could have burned two holes straight through the ship's fuselage.

Hughes leaned over and whispered behind his hand. "Nice going, pissing off our comrades. Wait until the captain hears about this."

"That Edwards guy? Pshaw, I ain't scared of him."

"I meant Cheyenne."

"Please. What's Her Nibsgoing to do about it?" she sniffed, interlacing her fingers behind her head.

"Probably lock you up in the nearest vacant brig–"

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, I am _so _scared…"

"With Tyler."

She glowered. "Mention him one more time and you'll be wearing your asscheeks for earmuffs."

It was at that moment that a call came in. It was Major Schaeffer. "Sergeant, we've got something!" Immediately the atmosphere in the hold changed to one of high alert. The holo-board lit up again, and Schaeffer's face appeared.

"What is it, major?"

"Five minutes ago we received an signal from one of the automated weather stations in the southwestern United States." Beside her image a map showed the state of New Mexico. Traveling rapidly across is was a red blip.

Martin squinted at it. "Hot one, moving fast. Heading?"

"It's been maintaining a constant westerly course. Speed is bordering on supersonic" The map flipped to a horizontal 3-D relief display, the contact floating above it. "There are no aircraft, commercial, military or otherwise in the area."

"Which could only mean–"

Schaeffer's eyes gleamed. "Precisely. Atwood is already en route. You will rendezvous with him at these coordinates." A series of figures scrolled up beside the radar echo. "You both should arrive at the same time."

Heart pounding, Neil took a final look at the map before scrambling up to the cockpit. As the Copperhead's engines ignited, the others strapped in and another voice replaced the major's. "In case you're wondering about the Black Phantom," Broderick said, "it's still out of commission. It apparently doesn't tolerate the fuel requirements as well as the Avenger, but we're working it. For now I've decided to allocate the remaining Elerium for weapons use."

"So that means we're on our own for this mission?" Martin asked as the drop ship's engines howled and she lifted, tucked in her wheels and accelerated into a steep climb.

"Affirmative. Use your best discretion. Atwood has a full missile load-out and if possible he'll try and bring that thing down. If circumstances allow you will land, do a ground assault and recover whatever you can. Securing any Elerium is a high priority."

"What if it's the mothership?" Ryan asked.

"Then you haul ass out of there, full burn, no questions asked. Good luck, people."

Tyler tightened his grip on the Super Avenger's joystick. He wasn't nervous…well, okay, maybe just a tad, but so what, it happened almost every time, to almost every combat pilot. He concentrated, trying to reach that detached yet intense state of mind that was vital to survival. At best, distractions merely resulted in getting chewed out by your XO when you got back. At worst you'd wind up floating home, that is if the burial teams found enough of you left to tag. He purged his mind of everything but the task awaiting him.

It took an extra effort to get Eri out of his head, though.

He sighed and checked his console…the blip clearly registered on his scanners, a tad over thirty kilometers away, while Neil was trailing a safe fifteen klicks off his six and well below him. He was happy to be up and flying again, even if circumstances were, well, a bit strange. He touched the slight bulge beneath his flight suit…hanging around his neck was a military dog-tag that had belonged to his uncle Cal, an X-COM operative in the First Alien War. He had been killed in a Stockholm alien terror raid, but true to the family tradition he chose to die fighting rather than become the egg-impregnated Zombie victim of a Chryssalid. Tyler considered the tag a good luck talisman and wore it whenever he flew. After a brief silent prayer he opened a channel to Operations back at the base, and the exchange was also heard aboard the Copperhead.

"Atwood to Ops…range is now twenty-six kilometers and closing fast. Contact's at two thousand meters altitude, still heading due west."

Cheyenne replied. "Roger that. We have you on our scopes."

Clouds boiled against the cockpit canopy. "The computer's come up with something. That's strange…the profile is not in our database. But it's definitely alien!" He cocked an eye at the image on his screen. The UFO's upper surface was nearly flat, but the lower portion was much deeper. It had more depth than breadth and thus it resembled some bizarre ice-cream cone. "Transferring data to you." He heard Lanier in the background: "That's a new one...some sort of scout, I bet."

"Any transmissions?"

"A few, already jammed, captain. Can't have them hollering for help."

A chirp sounded. "Just crossed the border into Arizona. He's changing course to the southwest." He nudged the stick over gently to port and flipped open the firing cap, grateful that Hughes, Lanier and Fleming had managed to fit up the missiles just last night. The mounting points had turned out to be compatible after all, and Neil was pleasantly surprised that he was able to wire the arsenal into the Super Avenger's fire-control system.

Another readout flickered on his flight panel, and this one made him do a double take. "Captain, I'm registering Elerium signatures! Hard to tell how much he's carrying, but there's definitely some on board!"

"Force him down, but do not, repeat, do _not _destroy it! No disintegrations. I don't want a big crater in the ground and an earful of apologies. And remember…you have no shields and your phase cannon may well malfunction. All you can count on are your missiles and your mass driver. Engage only if absolutely necessary, and only if that ship is unarmed."

"Copy that, ma'am." The targeting HUD came up, etched in brilliant green against the canopy, and he rested a thumb on the firing stud. "Range…twenty kilometers. I got tone–bird away!"

The interceptor jumped slightly as the clamps released and the missile dropped off its launch rail. For a split second it coasted, then its motor ignited. Hughes had labored for almost a day, rewriting and testing the targeting software, praying that it would not lock up or dummy out on launch. Now it was literally trial by fire. Downloading data from the ship's targeting system, the weapon locked onto its target, its microprocessor brain ignoring the IFF signals the human ships were broadcasting. The correlation was made, and it arrowed towards the alien scout, out of sight, riding the head of a fat contrail. Tyler peered at his screen. The smaller dot sped towards the larger one, distances shrinking. They had almost merged when the target danced sideways and the missile traveled on through empty air, arcing back in an unsuccessful attempt to reacquire.

"Shit!" he spat. "He jigged!" He eyed his fuel load-out. It was still in the green so he goosed the throttle and a huge hand pressed him back into his seat. He read off the distance. "Closing to fifteen point three…point two…fifteen. Firing!"

Another vapor trail appeared and accelerated away, curving slightly as it did a mid-course correction. This time it didn't miss but the UFO's speed dropped only slightly.

"Must've just nicked him. Damn the luck! Prepping number three now. Range…ten kilometers." _I should be getting a visual by now._ He searched the partially cloudy skies. A dark spec appeared against the bright hazy sky and rapidly grew "Well, hello, what have we here?"

As if it suddenly recognized the presence of its enemy, it abruptly plummeted in a dive. Tyler heard the lock tone sound again…a heartbeat passed and then he squeezed the firing switch. However, he was rewarded not by a launch confirmation but by a warning buzz signifying a misfire. With a practice born of battle he did not panic but switched over to the forth and final firing circuit, waited until he obtained another lock, and thumbed the button again.

Another malfunction!

_This is _not_ happening!_ "Looks like I'm going to have to get up close and personal, captain. Permission to engage?"

She answered after a slight pause. "Granted. Close to gun range. And be careful, Tyler."

He grinned inside his helmet and thumbed another switch on the stick, and with the whine of servomotors a ventral nose panel opened up. Out popped a wicked-looking gun pod that contained within it a multiple-barreled rotary cannon. By now the UFO had opened up a little bit of a lead and was almost on the deck and heading towards a sizeable lake. _No, no, pal. I don't think so! _His HUD had replaced the missile-targeting icon with a gunsight, and the Super Avenger bounded forward again. Both ships flashed out across the water's surface; the shockwave of the scout's passage raising a white rooster tail but Tyler flew off to one side, avoiding most of the spray. He didn't want to risk shooting it down here, for God only knew how deep this lake was. He waited until they were both over land once more and opened fire. Slugs of high-density tracers created bright white streaks in the air between them, reaching towards the scout. Sparks appeared on its hull where they struck and chipped away at it._ Alright! No shields!_

The alien ship suddenly slowed, came about and revealed an ugly surprise, unleashing a flurry of energy bolts from a dorsal turret. Tyler barely had time to spit a curse before standing the interceptor on her starboard wingtip as another beam grazed by. His headset came alive.

"Atwood, report! What's going on out there?"

He bled power over to his vector control system, and the Super Avenger instantly responded by sliding _sideways, _just as another volley of bolts flashed through the space he had occupied a second before. "Our friend was not as defenseless as we thought, captain! I'd love to tell you more, but you'll have to excuse my being so brief–"

The two ships began to engage in a pouncing, diving cloverleaf dogfight over the desert floor, rolling, turning, each trying to get an upper hand and score the decisive shot. The UFO's jade-colored rays sought out the X-COM ship, which replied with the continual roar of its mass-driver.

For the third time Atwood shook off his pursuer, feinting a climb and then flashing around out of a split-S, trying to get the slippery UFO in gun range again but the aliens weren't having any of it, flicking in and out of his targeting reticule like a wraith. He gave the bugs grudging respect…whoever was in that thing was deft with his maneuvers, playing off the scout's agility against the greater overall speed of the X-COM interceptor. And the UFO's turret had full 360-degree coverage, meaning it could cover an area within the scout's entire upper hemisphere, unlike the Super Avenger's cannon that, although mounted in a ball-and-socket pivot, still only had a basic forward field of fire.

Another blast streaked by just outside the canopy. "Godammit!" he spat, blinking a drop of sweat out of an eye. He would have wanted nothing more than to coax a miracle shot from his bread boarded launcher, but even if it worked, in such close quarters, guaranteeing a missile lock would have been next to impossible. And if he did manage to score, it might result in the UFO's destruction…something that would piss off his captain mightily. "Okay, that's it." He spun out of an inverted diving loop, leveling out mere tens of meters above the parched wastelands that blurred by below. His rear-guard sensors brayed. His opponent had latched onto his tail in the classic kill position… that same alarm was the last thing that many pilots heard before an alien missile or hail of plasma cannon rounds hastened them on to the afterlife.

Tyler had no intention of letting that happen to him; actually, he had been hoping that his foe just couldn't resist the nice juicy target his ass end presented. His left hand wrapped around his throttle controls. More rounds of green fire licked past him, one bolt actually ticking off the fuselage. But he maintained his course, swerving slightly, and waited…waited…until the crucial instant. Then he employed a dogfighter's trick that was an old as the hills. He chopped his main engines and routed almost all power to the vector thrusters, dropping his flaps and kicking out his airbrakes; at the same time he activated the anti-grav system usually reserved for landings, and this helped prevent him from stalling and unceremoniously belly-flopping into the ground. His armored suit automatically compensated for the maneuver so that he wouldn't gray out, but he still grunted as he was violently shoved forward against his flight harness.

Now as aerodynamic as a brick, the Super Avenger's airspeed and altitude plunged at once. The UFO, too intent on sending a round up Atwood's tailpipe, was a second too slow to react and overshot, sweeping by overhead. The alien pilot attempted to duplicate the unorthodox maneuver, braking and turning in a tight bank, but this was a critical error. In doing so he overtaxed whatever he was using for inertial damping, and as a result utterly trashed his primary drives.

Tyler wrestled back control of his interceptor, kicking in the mains and sweet-talking to the ship as if he were seducing a woman. "Come on, baby, that's right…make poppa proud." He grinned as the drives howled and he tore off after the UFO. "Good girl!" The gunsight reticle flashed and he laid out a storm of sleeper rounds. The paths of the scout and his shots intersected and at that point a small fireball grew that blew off more hull plating. Then the UFO was falling, trailing smoke, towards a hilly brown and orange wasteland of rock, Yucca, scrubs and a few scraggly Joshua trees.

"Sucker!" he crowed, and flipped his stricken foe a big fat bird. "I got him! Target losing altitude…looks like he's trying to make it over a nearby ridge. Maintaining visual contact…he's over, heading for a small clearing. He's slowing…slower still…impact! UFO is down, I repeat, UFO is down!"

Two states away Cheyenne gave Lanier a high-five and grinned at Schaeffer and Edwards. "Way to go! Stay airborne and patrol the crash site until Corporal Fleming arrives, and then land. Hughes, you read me?"

"Loud and clear, captain."

"Prepare for standard salvage and recovery procedures, and stay alert for hostiles. Could very well be some very pissed-off survivors waiting to greet you. Sergeant Whittaker?"

Ryan's voice boomed from the console speaker. "Ma'am?"

"Hughes will oversee this operation. I want two teams of three elements each. Use caution, sergeant. We still don't know exactly who it is we're dealing with here, so stick close to the Black Ops."

"Copy that. Hey, captain Edwards? Looks like we're gonna' have to get used to an enemy that shoots back now."

Gray smiled wryly, trying to appear less anxious than he really was. Fighting the Phantoms, as deadly as they had been, was altogether different than facing an armed unknown enemy. "We'll have to, Ryan, for our sake. The sooner we know what we're dealing with the better. You, Jane and Eri form one team. Tyler can join Martin and Neil once he lands."

"Roger that, captain. We're down now! Whittaker out."

Cheyenne took a seat beside Gray, rested her elbows on the console, rubbed her temples and exhaled. "Now comes the hard part."

The room's tension was almost palpable. The major sat facing both of them and interlaced her fingers, placing her hands before her. "Which is?"

"Waiting."


	9. UFO Assault

**Disclaimer: **FF:TSW characters belong to Square. X-COM is property of Microprose/Infogrames.

**Author's Note: **The Deep Eyes get their first taste of combat with a new type of alien. And this is just the start. PS: Some salty language follows.

**UFO Assault**

Pain.

Perhaps not in the fashion that we are familiar with. Pain is universally understood by man, plant, beast…

And alien.

A pair of black, inhuman eyes slowly opened in the darkness of the UFO's control cabin. After only a moment, their disorientation cleared as another creature pulled itself upright on the slanted floor, standing on stubby pipe-stem legs. Then a third one joined the first two. There was a forth figure lying crumpled in a corner. The large hairless head lay almost on its shoulder, angled far beyond the limitations of normal anatomy. In the dim light its greenish blood was almost black and decorated the floor and wall. Sympathy was not coming, however, for it received only a passing glance. The atmosphere reeked with a combination of shorted circuitry and scorched alloy and, beneath it all, the faint odor of seared flesh.

Flexible, almost jointless fingers stroked a darkened control surface covered with incomprehensible symbols. Some of these icons began to glow and the hand's owner spoke in a buzzing voice…all it could say, really, since it possessed no true vocal organs. The second hissed a reply, and then it and the last survivor turned to exit through the single doorway that pulled back upon itself. This scout ship was no mere simple construct. Like the mothership that had grown and launched it, it was partially organic.

The first alien motioned its slim, four-fingered hand at a blank wall, and a screen appeared in midair. Fluctuations from the ship's damaged power plant made the image jump and waver with static. Still, it was clear enough to show two other craft just descending behind a nearby ridge.

The enemy.

The alien contacted its companions again, but this time it spoke with its mind.

_Prepare. Humans come._

Sweating inside his armor, Neil squinted up at the early afternoon sun, a bright disc hanging in the pale blue sky and followed the others through a small dry ravine towards a twisting column of grayish-black smoke. Both the Super Avenger and the Copperhead had landed behind a protective spine of rock. Tyler had reported brief ground contacts but he couldn't give a definite number, and so the corporal couldn't help but be nervous…they would surely engage hostile aliens, in the flesh, and more than likely armed ones at that, something that he never thought he'd be doing. The Deep Eyes had exchanged their half-helmets for the increased protection of the heavier full-coverage models, but unfortunately they were stuffy, lacking any sort of stale-air exhaust. Neil cracked his open, grateful for the flow of relatively fresh air no matter how dry it was. _Lovely design, _he grumped. _Why don't these things have any vents? _The bright vista stabbed at his eyes, making them water, and in that good old Fleming style he began to complain.

"Are we there yet?"

"Oh, quit bitching!" Jane muttered.

"I like bitching." His reply contained equal parts affection and sarcasm. "I gotta' take a leak, and besides, I'm hot."

"Yeah, I know."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Proudfoot's helmet was also open and she scowled at Harper, who smiled back smugly. Eri was delighted to have gotten under her skin so easily. She had hoped that Neil would end up with her, but since she was stuck with the self-appointed Queen of Sheba instead, why not have a little fun?

"Cut the chatter, we're getting close." Hughes paused at the foot of a small hillock, checking the small cylinders secured to his accessory belt; Atwood and Harper wore these as well, and between the three of them he figured that they could recover a fair amount of Elerium. He looked at Ryan. "Any luck yet?"

The sergeant tried his suit radio again, then shook his head. "Our signals still can't get through. It's just like the communication blackout when the mothership first arrived. Operations is probably worried sick about us by now."

"Some sort of suppression field. Okay folks, here's the plan once again. I'm taking Fleming and Atwood around to the far side. Sergeant, you lead your group in the opposite direction. We'll circle around and flank the ship."

Jane felt her system flood with adrenaline. "A pincer approach?"

"Exactly. A UFO that small is usually crewed by no more than four, and we can catch 'em in a crossfire. I want a person in each of our groups can watch our backs at all times, in case any hostiles get any ideas. Any questions? Good…switch to coded battle channel oh-two-four." He began to shut his faceshield, but paused when his gaze caught Ryan's. He tipped the larger man a wink. "Good hunting, sergeant. Neil, Ty, with me." He turned and the trio left, stealthily using large rocks and stunted trees for cover. Before they vanished around a far bend, Ryan was already guiding his own small company onward. They encountered a small bubbling brook at one point, crossing it carefully, taking care not to make excess noise.

Eri kept a constantly roving eye on their six. Too bad that they didn't have a better motion detector…it would make tracking any aliens much easier and she wouldn't be running around in this damn desert. All the Black Ops had to rely on were the short-range scanners built into their helmets, and God only knew what funky technology the Deep Eyes were stuck with. Atwood claimed that he detected three hostiles on his fly-over prior to landing but he didn't sound one-hundred-percent certain to her. If flyboy's report wasn't accurate she'd take it out of his hide, personally.

UP ahead, on the other side of a slight depression, Ryan squatted behind an enormous fallen monolith of reddish rock and held up a hand, signaling the others to stop. The smoke column had thinned but was still visible, rising into the air just ahead. He slowly peeked over the rock's jagged edge and he froze. A mere fifty or so meters away, the crashed scout had plowed a long trench that ended in a shallow crater. Half of it was buried in the sandy soil and scattered debris lay everywhere. The ship's visible portion was badly damaged; smoke rose from buckled hull plates, and there were more of those strange organic-like growths twisting over the exterior. If anyone ever told Ryan that he would see a UFO, much less attack one, he would have advised them to check into the nearest nuthouse with a quickness. But now, especially after seeing the gigantic mothership first-hand, he was more than open to suggestions. He sensed his comrades hunkering close beside him, and he spoke softly into his mike.

"Whittaker to Hughes. Objective in sight!"

The reply came back almost immediately. "Confirmed…we also see it. We're north of your location, on higher ground We've found no evidence of hostiles so far. You got anything?"

Ryan zeroed in on the downed craft. The helmet's complex electronics had been upgraded over the past year to enable it to identify signatures across a much broader spectrum than the older model, which had been primarily tuned for phantom detection. A slow pan from left to right failed to reveal anything new. "Negative, nothing so far." He zoomed in on what appeared to be an open hatchway, and as he did so something emerged, blinking in the bright sunlight. "Hold on, I have something here!"

"Specify."

"It's short…the size of a kid! Big head, gray skin, large eyes. No clothing or armor that I can see."

"Sectoid. Damn. Just that one?"

"Affirmative. He's just standing there. Doesn't seem to be aware of our presence yet."

"Hopefully the others were killed in the crash. Well, it could be worse…"

"Hate to say it, but it is. He's packing a rifle. A big one."

"Then we're in for a fight. Hold your position. We'll be in place in a couple of minutes."

"Copy that." He signed off and gravel crunched as he turned on his heel. "Right. 'Couple of minutes,' he says…Jane? What's up?"

She was staring at a nearby outcrop that was slightly above and behind them. As long as she could remember she had experienced strong flashes of premonition, a sort of 'sixth sense'. It especially came on strong when she was in danger. Senses alert now, she brought her gun up and slipped a finger inside the trigger guard. "We're not alone, guys."

Eri stood beside her. "What're you babbling about?" But if she expected a response to her question none came. Jane continued to study the area upslope.

"Trust her, if she says something's weird, she's usually right." Ryan peeked out at the crash site again. The alien was ambling back towards the UFO.

"C'mon, there can't be anyone up there." Harper toggled her own visual filters through several displays but detected nothing. She shook her head. "'Usually', huh? And if this is one of those times she's wrong?"

Any further discussion on the matter was academic. A flash of green and a small Joshua tree a stone's toss away disintegrated in a small explosion of splinters. As they all dove for cover, Ryan spat an oath, not at all happy to note that the other alien had now joined in, adding his fire to that of his hidden companion. The humans now found themselves pinned down from two directions, victims of the very strategy they had planned to lay out for the aliens.

"Hughes! We are under fire! Repeat, under fire, we need assistance, _now_!"

"We're almost there! Sit tight!"

"The fuckers! It was a set-up!" Eri snapped off some rounds, her plasma rifle _thrumming _deeply as she tried to flush out the concealed sniper, cutting down bushes, scrubs and blowing apart some good-sized rocks. Ryan meanwhile squeezed off a few shots at the other alien; his laser rifle bucked as it discharged lethal red bolts, and he finally forced the alien to seek cover, at least for the moment. He slid down the slight slope on his posterior and landed in the shallow dry gully amidst a cloud of dust and a small shower of pebbles.

"So, you were saying?" Jane asked, squatting down beside Eri and ducking the plasma fire pocking the ground all around. She threw a glance at her comrade before sending out a flurry of fire, but got no answer. Harper was either concentrating on nailing their assailant or, more than likely, ignoring her.

Plasma rifle fire whined again and a corner of the crag behind Ryan vanished. Chunks of rock bounced off his armor. He saw that the angle of incoming fire had changed. The alien was circling towards a group of large boulders, trying to obtain a good shot. "Godammit, where the hell are they?"

He was just about to raise the comm channel again when the sniper's perch erupted under an onslaught of withering red and green fire that came in from the left. As the dust and smoke cleared it was evident that nothing could have survived such a barrage…the spot had been literally vaporized. Neil's voice came in over their suit radios, cracking with either good cheer or excitement. "Hey guys, the cavalry's here!"

Now that one danger was neutralized, the humans turned their full attention to the remaining one. The second alien's fire slackened and it bolted for the protection of its ship. "Get that bastard!" Tyler shouted down his com-link.

"Jeez, keep your pants on, will ya'?" Eri scrambled out of the ditch.

"Harper! You utter idiot, get your ass back here _now!"_

But she paid no heed to Martin's bawling…she was caught up in the passion of battle, focusing on her target, and nothing else mattered. She charged forward and with a move verging on precognition, dropped as a burst of plasma ionized the air a finger's width above her head. She struck the ground on her shoulder, rolling, and let her inertia bring her up into a crouch. Her plasma rifle spoke and one of the gray's legs blew apart below the knee in a spray of greenish blood, flesh and bone. The sectoid screeched, its last shots going wide into the Arizona sky, but incredibly it was still trying to bring its weapon to bear on the human. A split-second later Eri's gun barked again and the alien's other leg vanished, and it finally dropped. Watching it all, Jane was absolutely astounded. She would never have suspected that Eri, with her impulsiveness and cocky attitude, could have been so accurate.

Getting to her feet Harper swore a few choice words. Apparently this bug was a hardcase, never mind the shattered legs…it was crawling towards its plasma rifle that lay a couple of meters away. Its fingers were closing on the butt of the gun when an armor-clad boot stomped down its wrist, and the other kicked the weapon from its grasp. The alien looked up at her and glowered, and she stiffened as the cold touch of its telepathic powers began to sink into her mind like a fishhook. She reflexively fell back on her psi training and her implant activated, canceling out the sectoid's telepathic abilities. She ignored what felt like the start of a headache and readjusted her rifle's output.

"Just call me the cleaning woman." She tapped the trigger and a single low-powered plasma bolt precisely aimed at point-blank range instantly vaporized most of its forebrain. The alien twitched once and died with an expression eerily like human frustration.

She dealt the corpse a swift kick. "Shit! You got blood on my gun, you asshole!"

"Hey!" Hughes exclaimed, finally reaching her and pulling her back. "Knock it off. That's decent postmortem material."

She shrugged him off. "I already know what its guts look like."

"But _they_ don't." He hooked a thumb towards Ryan, Neil and Jane, who had gathered around the body. They were looking warily at it like they expected it to jump back up. "And you disobeyed my orders!"

"Oh. So sorry," she said with false sweetness. She snuck a glance at Neil, hoping that he had been impressed by her performance.

"Show-off," Atwood said.

"Keep pissing on the third rail, dronehead," she snapped.

"You know, Harper, I really wonder how the captain puts up with you sometimes. Since you're so enthusiastic, take point." Ignoring her predictable mumbling, Hughes turned to the Deep Eyes. "So…who's ready to storm their first UFO?"

Once through the open hatch, they spread out in a loose group. A haze quickly enveloped them; the lenses of Ryan, Jane and Neil's helmets glowed with blue radiance, while the black-armored forms of X-COM blended into the shadows, nearly invisible save for the red light from the slits of their visors. "If you guys have any extra lights, fire 'em up."

"You heard the man," Ryan said, and six beams sprang to life, flooding the rounded corridor with light. As they proceeded, Neil anxiously looked behind the group…the gloom back there was giving him the creeps. "Um…do we have to split up again?"

Eri let a grin slip into her voice. "Naw. That only happens in Hollywood."

"Where?"

"Never mind."

The short tilted passageway intersected a corridor, and Eri advanced cautiously in a crouch, peeking around one corner, then quickly swinging around to cover the other. The laser sight on her plasma rifle scratched a thin ruby thread in the dimness.

"Clear," she said quietly, waving the others forward with a hand motion.

Martin divided his attention between his five teammates and the small pointer displayed on his interior HUD. He swore to himself under his breath, because the Elerium detector he had designed still hadn't picked up anything. There couldn't be more than two levels total on this ship but perhaps the stuff was so effectively shielded that it wouldn't show until they were almost on top of it.

Ryan glanced up and could see more of the ubiquitous tendrils snaking over the gray metal ceiling. Where they piping or conduits, or something more? What were they for? Although the skewed floor still had a solid feel he expected to see giant hairs any minute. It was like walking into an immense nostril. Just behind him, Neil touched the nearest wall. "Check this out." He turned his light onto his hand and saw that it wasn't grease on his gauntlet…it was some sort of viscous, slimy gray substance that reminded him unpleasantly of snot. He turned and shoved his hand before Jane's helmet. "What the hell kind of place is this?"

She smacked his hand away. "How should I know? And don't touch me with that crap, okay?"

They continued on, alert for any possible hostiles or booby-traps. From their route they ascertained that the corridor encircled a core, like a ring around a hub, and the bridge must be located at the center of the craft. They did not find anything resembling an entrance until they had reached the opposite side of the ship. On the innermost passageway wall was a door that looked oddly like a huge tricuspid valve. Harper approached it warily from the side, scrutinizing the surfaces beside it, searching for some sort of activation mechanism. "Must be some sort of sensor or similar device nearby."

"Well?" Hughes asked after a moment.

"Hold on, I'm looking," Her light swept across a slightly darker square, in the middle of which was a small black circle mounted at roughly waist level...just about the right height for a sectoid. "Aha! Stand aside, everyone." They did so, and she took her own advice before waving an armored hand in front of the sensor.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, but still without success. "Dammit," she murmured. "Must be locked, or jammed, or something. Should we blast it?" She raised her rifle.

"I should've known you'd ask that. Some things require finesse. Chill for a minute." Hughes pushed her barrel down and approached the door, cradled his rifle in the crook of an arm and produced a small, flat circle of some thin metallic material that he adhered to the wall, just above the sensor. He jacked its slim cable to a small nondescript panel on a forearm, pushed a couple of softly glowing buttons located there and spoke. "Faye, Code D-17, initiate."

The silky female voice that answered was surprisingly seductive. "Acknowledged. Breaker programs engaged and running." A long moment passed, then a series of harmonic chirps echoed in the corridor. "Lock circuits bypassed and released."

"You'd think the bugs would've at least changed the locks, after all these years." The computer tech disconnected his hardware, ignoring the stares. Neil was grinning–he could identify a fellow hacker a mile away.

Eri's helmet light wagged back and forth as she shook her head in mild disgust. "'Faye?' Give me a break."

The crimson visor angled down at her. "You're not jealous of an AI, are you?" he teased.

"Oh, please," she answered, almost sulkily.

He unlimbered his weapon. "Good. Then take the lead, please. I strongly suspect that the control cabin lies behind this door."

Harper tensed, passed her hand across the sensor eye again, and this time the 'petals' of the door silently pulled apart. "Here we go…" she muttered, and crossed the threshold.


	10. Turncoat

**Disclaimer: **FF:TSW characters belong to Square. X-COM is property of Microprose/Infogrames.

**Author's Note: **Things start to take a little twist…yes I know, I'm evil. Bwahahaha!

**Turncoat******

Mouth grimly set, Harper ducked through the open door and into the faint ruddy light that lay beyond it. She froze when her peripheral vision spotted a dark lump on the floor to her right and she approached it warily, then prodded it with a grunt.

"Got a dead gray here, guys. Looks like he wasn't wearing his seatbelt," she chuckled, straightening up. "Area is secure." She cracked open her helmet, slung her rifle over her shoulder on its strap and stepped aside as the others entered. The space wasn't too tight…there was enough room for all six humans to fit without jostling. To complicate matters, though, the floor lay at an angle due to the ship's final resting position and everyone had to compensate for this with an awkward stance.

Neil's gray eyes peered out of his open helmet. Then they went wide and he clapped a hand across his nose. "Jesus! What's that _stink?"_

His helmet open as well, Ryan wrinkled his nose as he got a whiff. "Huh! You can say that again…it smells like rotten meat."

"Or Neil's laundry," Jane remarked as she looked around. Banks of unfamiliar instruments lined the walls of the circular cabin. "So…this is what a UFO looks like," she murmured. The low ceiling was slightly domed but had none of those weird tendrils were in sight for a change. It was hard to discern where the overall illumination was coming from…everything seemed to be lit indirectly and the lack of distinct shadows was unsettling. Just barely discernible, on the edge of hearing, was a rhythmic sound; where it originated from she couldn't tell. She followed Ryan as he approached a pair of seats that had disturbingly inhuman contours, and these sat behind a console whose angled metallic-gray top was covered with cryptic symbols and divided by faintly glowing lines. Stationed against the far left and right walls were two more seats placed before more odd-looking consoles. "Neil, don't touch anything!" Ryan warned.

"I wasn't gonna." But the tech sidled away from the equipment just the same, joining the others. "Pilot and co-pilot positions? How do they fly this thing?"

Hughes was busy connecting his hacking hardware to the alien computer, and the compact device began scanning and downloading gigabytes of raw data. "The grays and other psionically-gifted aliens control their ships via telepathy, mentally synchronizing with their flight systems. The response times are almost instantaneous. It's much more efficient than wrestling with a joystick."

"Flyboy here wrestles with _his_ joystick every night," Harper commented snidely, and even Jane was caught off-guard by the remark.

"Shut up, you sawed-off little piece of­–" Atwood bristled.

Hughes spoke without looking at either one of them. "Stow it, you two." But the order contained a note of amusement.

"I wonder what the science lab would think of all this?" Jane wondered aloud–she assumed that Ryan was visually recording everything (and a glance told her that this was so). She looked over at the dead gray and grimaced. _Yech_. Who would be the lucky one to drag that thing out of here? Maybe if she twisted Neil's arm a bit. Her scheming was abruptly interrupted by an exclamation from Hughes.

_ "Yes!"_

Everyone looked up. Martin was scrutinizing the floor, appearing to be looking for something, and after another moment found a handgrip of some sort near the far wall. It was sticking up from a faint oval. He turned, eyes gleaming. "I got Elerium readings, right beneath us! I bet more than anything that this hatch leads down to the power core. Only one way to find out." He knelt, wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled. The cover resisted for the briefest moment before pivoting up and over, revealing steps set into a cylindrical wall. It was not quite dark down there…there was a faint glow, pulsing in time with that omniscient background thrum.

"Atwood, I'll need a hand with the collection. Harper, give me your containers and have the Deep Eyes help you salvage any armament, hardware, whatever you can carry out of here."

"Wouldn't it be better just to take this whole ship back?"

Jane was flabbergasted. Of all the times for a wisecrack! "What kind of harebrained idea is that?" She rapped her knuckles on his forehead. "Hello, earth to Neil…in case you haven't noticed, this is a wreck! How's it supposed to get airborne?"

Her comment didn't faze him. "C'mon, we can call the base and request one of those big heavy-lifter transports."

"But we can't reach them with our suit radios, and­–"

"I know that. But once we remove that Elerium stuff, the UFO's main power should be offline, ergo the interference it's causing will stop, then we can re-establish long-range communications without having to walk back to use our ships' systems. It ain't exactly rocket science, ya' know." He grinned at her, appearing quite pleased with himself.

The three X-COM squad members looked at each other, then at the tech. Hughes raised a finger like a schoolteacher about to make a point. "By God, I _like_ this guy. Good thinking, corporal. In the meantime, guys, see what you can still carry with you. And don't forget sleepyhead over there, either," he said, pointing at the alien corpse. He placed a cautious foot on the first rung, testing it before descending into the ship's lower section, gun at the ready. Tyler was close behind with the extra Elerium containers swinging from his waist. As they disappeared the others began poking around for something to take.

Helmet on the floor beside her, Eri squatted beside the open hole and armed sweat off her brow. The air didn't smell quite as bad anymore…she guessed she was getting used to it. The humidity plastered her hair to her forehead and the nape of her heck. "You guys are too quiet! Are you playing grab-ass down there, or what?" she hollered.

After a moment Tyler's voice floated back up. "You can always join us if you want."

She grinned, but it faltered when she saw the expression on Ryan's face. "What's up sergeant?"

Ryan was standing by one of the flight seats, drumming his fingers the back of it. Lips pursed and eyes narrowed in concentration, he presented the appearance of a man who was trying to figure something out, but just couldn't put his finger on it.Then he blinked as if emerging from a dream and gave a little apologetic smile. "Guess I zoned out for a second, eh?"

"He's probably daydreaming about Lita again..."

"Quiet, Neil!" Jane snapped, scrounging for anything she could easily carry from the wrecked control cabin.

Unfazed, he swaggered over and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Well, now…what's with the black expression, sunshine?"

"I'm trying to decide if it's you or this ship that's giving me nausea." She turned to Ryan. "Can we get out of here now?" she implored. "This place is giving me the creeps."

Down below, Martin and Tyler had entered the UFO's engine room, a hemispherical chamber about ten meters across. A soft sulfur-yellow glow shone from seams between the dark gray walls and floor, and in the center of the room sat the dome-shaped power core. A translucent column as thick as a man's waist rose from its top, joining with the low convex ceiling and connecting with countless energy waveguides that radiated outward like spokes, their far ends piercing the walls. The rhythmic pulsation was much louder down here, and every time it occurred, an amber wave swept up through the central column and dissipated away through the ceiling channels. Martin checked his readouts, opening his helmet and swiping some of his dark blonde hair away from his face as his hazel eyes searched for some sort of access panel. He slowly walked around it and finally noticed first one faint line that met another at a right angle, then another. He crouched and traced the rectangular shape of a loading port in the side of the reactor.

"Her Nibs will be pleased. Tyler, prep those containers, and let's get cracking."

Neil shifted the load of alien hardware in his arms to a more comfortable position. Inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief; at least the sarge hadn't ordered him to carry that body; the alien was now draped over one of Ryan's broad shoulders. "That oughta' do it. You guys ready?"

"I'll feel better once we're outside. Get your butt in gear." Cradling some of her alien loot, Jane nudged him towards the open doorway with Ryan close behind her. Eri was last, toting a pair of plasma rifles she had discovered in a weapons locker and wondering just what in God's name Neil possibly saw in that grouchy woman.

The trek back seemed shorter. The afternoon sun streamed through the exit, and the shadows outside had lengthened a little. Neil emerged first, setting his plunder on the ground and taking a moment to stretch. He inhaled deeply. "Much better!"

"Yeah, it's an improvement alright," Ryan agreed, his helmet open as well. He knelt and carefully laid the dead sectoid on the ground. But something was still bugging him. He stood and looked around again …nothing out of place here. Hands on hips, his fingers drummed out a broken rhythm, just like they did inside the ship, only out here he wasn't standing by one of those funky seats–

Seats.

_ Seats._

There were four seats inside…but three aliens accounted for! There was the sniper, the second gray that Harper wasted (it still lying where she had shot it), and the third one that he had brought out himself. Could that possibly mean…? Pulse quickening, Ryan switched to an open channel. "Hughes! These UFO's…are they usually fully crewed?"

"Almost always, sergeant? Why?"

"Because there may be another one that we somehow missed. We're not out of the woods yet." He thumbed the safety off his laser rifle and squinted at the landscape. "Be on alert, people. Neil?"

He was off to the side and in front of the others. "Uh, negatory on that, sarge."

Standing behind them, near the open hatch, Harper scanned the area as well. _This sucks_, she thought to herself. _Why is it that recovery operations never go by the book?_ She noted that the corporal had her rifle up and ready, standing in her "Jane-knows-best" pose. Well, since she _did_ kind of detect the sniper, maybe she already sensed this one. That would make the job much easier.

"Jane?" Ryan approached her, still looking around cautiously. "Anything ye–"

His words were cut off as the heavy stock of her rifle jerked backwards and slammed into his chest plate. The armored plastron took the brunt of the blow, but Jane was quick and had the advantage of surprise. Before he could recover from his astonishment, she pivoted and swung the gun around in an arc. The barrel caught him in the jaw, sending his unfastened helmet flying and he toppled, crashing to the ground amid a cloud of dust. As the bells in his head stopping ringing, he could hear Neil's exclamation and Eri's explosive string of expletives. Utter disbelief began to edge over into simmering anger and he started to get up, but stopped as the wide bore of a heavy laser rifle was pressed, none too nicely, against his forehead. Moving only his eyes, he looked up at Jane, who stood over him. The low sun illuminated a face that was as lifeless as a mannequin's, and eyes that were no longer human.

They were black, completely and utterly black.

The racket over the com system made Atwood jump, but Hughes, carefully extracting the priceless alien mineral from the off-line reactor core, did not so much as twitch. "What's going on up there? Harper, report!"

"Corporal Proudfoot is under alien control and she has the sergeant at gunpoint. There's still a gray at large–"

He capped of the a cylinder. "Shit!"

"And I'm gonna' find him!" She signed off without waiting for a reply, leaving him gritting his teeth. Tyler bent and scooped his weapon off the floor. "I'm heading up."

"Negative. Stay here."

He gaped, dumbfounded. "What? You can't be serious! They need assistance, and there's a life at risk–"

"I'm aware of that, but there's little you could do by the time you reached them. Eri knows what's at stake...she may be a pain in the ass but she's no dummy. Trust her. Besides, I need you here. The quicker we can finish this operation the better." Hesitation and uncertainty played across the younger man's face before he knelt back down and fixed Hughes with an flat gaze. "I hope you're right, man," he said grimly. "I really do…"


	11. Drama on Two Fronts

**Disclaimer: **FF: TSW characters…not mine. X-COM…not mine. Sid being a tea-totolar…my idea.

**Author's Note: **Another one of my longer works. I was thinking of splitting it in half, but…nah. Suck it up and deal with it, lol.

**Drama on Two Fronts******

"Dammit!" Aki muttered and glared at the Elerium pod sitting inside the isolation chamber's containment field. A few paces away Dr. Sid was entering data on his own holographic keyboard. Hearing her he paused, catching her hopeful gaze but a negative shake of his head made her heart sank a little. Sighing, she sat back in her chair and rubbed her temples, ignoring the scattered sheets of paper and her hasty notes scribbled upon them. The two scientists and a pair of technicians had been in the lab all day, running test after test, and they had concluded that while the element was a mineral (no problem there), it also exhibited some attributes of a living organism. Aki loudly declared that such a thing should not exist. "A living rock is impossible!" she declared, to which Sid countered what they had seen…the existence of life identical to their own from another dimension, could be considered just as implausible. His associates were all racking their brains as to how this could be.

Now Dr. Sid set his station on standby and walked around to stand beside her, reaching for his mug and taking a sip of Earl Gray. It was cold and too strong and he grimaced slightly. "But we are making some progress. This, for example." He brought up a small screen and the statistics scrolled upwards. To the uninitiated, it would appear to be just endless streams of words, phrases and the occasional graphic. "We have a basic understanding of Elerium." He shook his head, though. "And a strange material it is."

Aki slumped in her chair, barely hearing him. She was thinking on this new concept too hard because her head felt like it was filled with wool. "Yeah, I know. But it isn't related to anything on the periodic chart. And we certainly don't have the means synthesize it." She looked at the glowing amber sphere again. She spoke slowly. "Something affected it when it passed through that energy vortex, something that destabilized its very structure. And, unfortunately, the deterioration is accelerating. Look, here's the sample when I first brought it in." She opened a window on her screen. On it was an image of the Elerium as it was a few hours ago. "Now, the last scan from thirty minutes ago…okay, here. Do you see any difference?"

He leaned forward, frowning. "Can't say I do…my eyes aren't what they once were."

She highlighted the details. "Look again."

Now Sid could see that there was indeed a discrepancy. "I do now, yes!" He peered closer, a narrow finger tracing areas in that second view. Were they fainter? They looked less distinct unhealthy even. "If it were a true organism, I'd dare say that it seems to be losing its spirit."

"If only we could reverse the process."

"Almost like…it's dying." He stopped when Aki snapped her fingers. Sitting up in her seat she stared at nothing with wide eyes, before turning to focus on him. "Wait a minute…of course! Where is all the data on the completed spirit wave? The one that healed Gaia?"

"It should be in my archives. What do you have in mind?"

She was grinning now and grasped his forearm, wondering if the light bulb floating above her head was visible She shuffled through her notes, then tossed them aside with a snort of disgust. Her fingers fairly flew on her terminal's trapezoidal keys.

"I'm so stupid­–it's been in front of me, the whole time! Listen, if we can replicate the waveform–" Her bearing had become that of the high-spirited and enthusiastic Aki Ross, who displayed such enormous potential before the ill-fated experiment that had left her living on borrowed time. "I'll need the waveform, every bit of relevant data and the energy transfer equipment," she went on. She paused, and then added, with a half grin, "And my old iron bra." _If this works, X-COM–and us, as well– may have a fighting chance at defeating the new invaders. I sure hope the others are doing okay out there._

Things were looking bad. In fact, from Neil's point of view, things appeared to be downright crappy. "Um, Jane…could you do us all a favor and put the gun down? Please?" He held a hand out, palm down, and was only a few paces from her, but her finger was on the trigger and knowing her reflexes, Neil knew that there was no way he could tackle her and hopefully wrestle that weapon away in time. At her feet, the usually cool and collected sarge was sweating, which was definitely not a good sign.

At the sound of his voice, her head jerked up and that terrifying stare fixed on him; her gun didn't waver one iota. Neil bit his lip, his heart hammering away as he looked at two pools of blackness from which all humanity had vanished.

Behind her, near the UFO's open doorway, Harper was pointing at him, and then she tapped her own helmet.

_ Huh? _

Seeing that she had his attention Eri's thumb and forefinger formed a circle. Then she held up two gloved fingers, and finally splayed all five. The fretful corporal drew his brows together. What the hell was she saying? He scolded himself fiercely._ C'mon, think! _

Looking a bit exasperated now, Harper smacked the side of her helmet again–under any other circumstances it would have been comical–and repeated her gesture. Did she mean…_radio? _Of course!

"Jane, don't do this!" A drop of stinging sweat ran into Ryan's eye, making him blink; his jaw was stinging where her gun had struck him but he didn't dare move. She glared down at him again, and her upper lip rose in a snarl. Praying she wouldn't notice, Neil took the opportunity to quickly access the small control panel on his right wrist, switching his channel to oh-two-five and immediately Eri's voice sounded in his ear.

"It's about time! We're the only two on this frequency. Listen, she's under alien control. She and it share the same sight. Distract her, keep her attention on you."

"What are you going to do?" he mumbled, eyes darting between the Black Ops agent and the unnerving scene before him. "Shoot her?"

"You're cute, but kinda' dense. I'm going to get that bug." She ducked into the UFO. "If you play it smart we can save both of your teammate's lives." With that she cut the transmission, leaving Neil swallowing nervously. It was up to him now.

Dr. Sid and the two lab workers had already arranged the equipment and double-checked all connections. He nodded, pleased with himself, and turned to Aki. She had just finished installing a fresh power cell in her chest plate; she had engaged on a search earlier, and she remembered the vault, a cluttered room that was home to spare equipment, completed projects, stacks of old files and miscellaneous bric-a-brac. She finally found a small box on a top shelf, her name scrawled on its side. Inside buried in packing was the hardware that had once kept her alive.

"Hello, old friend," she murmured. She withdrew it carefully, almost reverently. "Bet you never thought you'd see the light of day again, did you?"

Now she approached the Elerium, and noted that its brilliance had waned further.

"I'm lowering the containment fields now. Stand by." Dr. Sid was standing by the near wall and manipulated a control. A deep hum sounded, and the room's lighting, soft to begin with, dimmed a little more. "Now, once the chest plate is in place it should­–what's wrong?" His voice with tinged with concern.

Aki had stopped in midstride and was holding a hand to her brow. Her eyes were squeezed shut. For the merest second, things had swum out of focus, blurring, and an odd harmonic rang in her head. Then the vertigo passed and she was looking at Dr. Sid's seamed face, creased even more so in worry. She felt his hand on her arm. "Are you all right?"

Blinking hard, she lowered her hand and smiled a little. "Yeah. overwork, I guess. Let's get this going." She ignored his dubious gaze as she aligned the chest plate directly over the glowing orb. Satisfied, she secured it onto the slick surface of the pod with a blob of rubbery instant-curing adhesive; now it could only be removed with an effort. She held out a hand, and Dr. Sid passed her one end of an umbilical cable. She plugged it in and her colleague connected the opposite end into a dedicated workstation. Contained within its specially designed preservation circuits was an identical replica of the eight spirit waves that had eliminated the phantoms.

The plate chirped and a green light winked back at her. "Powered up and standing by. Ready for the download."

Dr. Sid had activated his holographic control sphere and his wizened fingers began to manipulate it. Aki gnawed the inside of her cheek, anxiety showing on her features and she crossed her fingers so hard that they ached.

Would this work?

Out of sight within the ship, Eri pressed a series of switches and her outline blurred as the Elerium-powered device in her suit's backpack warped the photons around her, and she disappeared. The effect wasn't perfect…a vaguely humanoid-shaped distortion remained. But she didn't care, just as long as it did its job so that she could do hers, and she had a good idea of where to start her hunt. She cleared her mind and then stepped back outside. Nothing had changed. On her com she overheard Neil, trying to buy some time. _Good. Keep talking._ She quickly sidled around in a semi-circle, heading for the foot of a tall rocky hill that overlooked the crash site.

Neil meanwhile was entreating Jane to come to her senses, to fight whatever it was that had hold of her…to do something_, anything_.

But her face remained expressionless, and he felt increasingly fretful. What could he do when his teammate held a high-powered weapon to the head of her colleague and superior officer? _Man, oh man, this is not turning out to be a good day. _He struggled with what to say next, when he noticed something shimmering on the edge of his vision. It was at his nine o'clock, moving around him, past the others. He began to turn his head. Jesus, now what?

"Eyes forward, soldier! Don't give away my position!" Eri barked over his com, and she was relieved to see him look away.Jogging in a semi-crouch she approached the jumbled outcropping at the slope's base and rapidly searched for the quickest way up. She knew that Sectoids preferred a direct line-of-sight for their mind-control attacks to be most effective. _Grays don't like to think around corners,_ her psi-instructor had once joked. She began to climb.

Crouching before the open access panel, Hughes withdrew the next Elerium pod, ignoring his cramping leg muscles. Suddenly a klaxon blared and this time he did start. On the gray metal surface in front of him a dark panel lit up, and on its face a series of odd red figures appeared, changing at regular intervals.

"Well, now. This can't be good."

"What? What's going on?" Atwood inquired, looking around nervously, his voice tense.

Martin sealed the glowing ball into its container and reached back into the ship's power source where three pods were still waiting. Now the power conduits overhead were pulsing in time with the alarm. "Self-destruct sequence. See that display? As far as I can translate it, there are approximately four minutes left."

"Well, you're the computer expert! Stop it!"

"Can't be stopped." He glanced at the display. "It's controlled by the bridge computer, and the controls are locked."

"Shit! Then let's go!" He gathered up as many of the cylindrical containers as he could and began to mount the stairwell rungs. He looked behind him and did a double take. Hughes had not moved from his position. As a matter of fact, he was extracting the next load, and from his unruffled expression he might as well have had all the time in the world.

"Are you nuts? Come on, we have enough Elerium!"

"There's still time…three minutes and twenty seconds. I calculate I can get it all and still be able to get the hell up out of here and reach safe distance before the ship blows. Now, you can go if you want, or stop doing your potty dance, help me out here and save a few seconds." All the while he worked rapidly, carefully withdrawing the precious energy source, placing it into another container, sealing it, reaching for the next. He dangled another carrot on his stick. "Besides, if you help me out, Harper'll be _so_ impressed, she may even let you take her out on a date…"

"Bastard," Atwood sighed. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

_Come out, come out, wherever you are. _Having reached the top as silently as possible, Eri scanned her surroundings. Around her were rocks, crevices and scrubs. Some of the growth was taller than she was. She ascertained the gray was in such a position as to overlook all the drama in the crash site. Hell, the bastard was probably gloating. She began to search in that direction, moving with the stealth of an X-COM Black Ops agent. __

Whoa, wait. What was that? She halted in mid-step; already she had caught a glimpse of something…just the slightest hint of motion. She clicked over to infrared, and the whole world suddenly looked as if it were dipped in vat of gore. She nodded at what she saw standing beside the bole of a dead tree. As motionless as a rock, its lower body temperature showing dark blue, was the Sectoid. It was staring fixedly down the slope. The creature's shared consciousness was also its weakness…all but the most powerful aliens were vulnerable when they were playing puppet master.

_Gotta' take him out with one shot. _She hefted her plasma rifle but as her thumb slid over the activation stud she remembered how noisy the whine of the weapon's capacitor could be. If she powered it up in this relative silence she might as well walk up and ask for ID. She made a mental note to kick herself later. Hunkering behind a large boulder, she set her rifle aside and reached for the rattlesnake-skin sheath strapped to her right calf. She released its latch and fifteen centimeters of polished blue-green alloy snicked into her palm. _Now for the final touch, _she thought._ You're gonna' love this, my friend. _She unfastened and removed her helmet and emerged in a hunter's crouch; since the rest of her body remained cloaked, anyone watching would have been treated to the highly unnerving sight of a disembodied head floating above the ground with a blade traveling beside it. _There you are, you little shit. This is almost too easy. _She straightened up with a grin would have made a shark jealous and tweezed her throwing knife between her thumb and forefinger. "Hey, slapnuts…got a light?"

The alien turned and suddenly the knife grip was protruding from one of its bulging eyes. Its head rocked back and it stumbled, dark fluid running down its face and splattering on the dusty red ground. It began to totter towards her, hissing through a small mouth lined with tiny needle-sharp teeth. The human, totally decloaked now, stood her ground with her feet apart, shrugging off the feeble attempts of a weak mind-control attack. The alien charged but Eri nimbly stepped aside, grasped an arm and reeled it in. Its hiss rose into a shriek, and the shriek abruptly stopped when she crooked an elbow beneath its pointed chin, grasped the top of its head with her other hand and twisted. With a muffled snap neck its cervical vertebrae snapped, the jagged bone shearing through its spinal cord, and it went limp. Eri let it thump to the ground, checked to ensure that it wasn't playing possum, and then retrieved her helmet and rifle before contacting Neil.

"How is she now?" Peering over the elevation's lip, she could just make out the sergeant getting up. Jane had dropped her weapon and was still on her feet, swaying, but Ryan caught her before she could fall, and she sagged against him. Abruptly she pushed off of him, staggered a few paces away, bent over and retched. Neil replied, "Jane is…well, she's back to normal. I hope."

"Best to get her checked out when we get back. Meanwhile I got us a little trophy. Harper out." She scooped up the dead gray and began her descent. Down below the two men were watching Proudfoot closely, with more than a little concern. Whittaker tenderly touched his jaw, which had a humdinger of a bruise, and exhaled hugely. "Jane…?"

She stood still bent, hands on knees, waiting for the dry heaving to stop before kicking dirt over the mess. She spit a few times, trying to clear out the nasty bile aftertaste. "What're you looking at?" Her voice was drained. Wiping her mouth she returned their gazes, her brown eyes back but miserable in her wan face. "If you're going to ask how I feel, don't bother. I'm…not in a talking mood right now." She turned her back on them again, arms crossed. Her body language fairly shouted her shame and embarrassment. Had she not held her friend at gunpoint? She could have killed him!

"Okay, then. Tell you what. When we get back, I'll cook you a nice dinner…" Neil was about to say more when Ryan gave him a warning glance and shook his head. "Let her be."

"You can cook for _me, _Neil. Here. A gift to you guys." The two men looked around to see Eri trudging towards them. A small limp body was slung over her shoulder, and her knife was still embedded in its skull. She unceremoniously tossed the corpse down, and at the sound of the impact Jane raised her head and glared at it. Her face contorted into a mask of fury and without warning she took a couple of large strides and planted not one but two solid kicks in the gray's side.

"Cool!" Eri was delighted. "Damn, girl, I'm buying you a drink!"

Ryan clamped a large hand around her arm. "Hey! Jane, stop it! It's dead… you'll have more opportunities to get your revenge later." Their eyes met, her fierce ones locking with his. She frowned. Ryan was always so damn proper. She stalked away, arms crossed, and Whittaker picked up his helmet.

There was commotion in the direction of the ship and someone dashed from the entranceway, heading straight for them. Everyone jumped before they recognized Hughes and Atwood, and they were in a mighty big hurry.

"Go, go, _go_!" Martin was hollering through his open helmet. "The ship's on self-destruct!"

"Wha–?"

"No time for thumb-twiddling! Pound ground!" Harper took the opportunity to give Fleming's backside a smack. The others fell in behind Hughes, trying to match his pace as he dashed for the same ravine where the aliens had tried to ambush them in earlier. In his head he had kept a countdown going: he and Tyler had been able to scuttle up the ladder, cross the bridge and hurry through the roundabout corridor to the main exit. He had tried to radio ahead, but that damn interference had chosen of all times to flare up again. When he set foot on the ground outside he had been relieved to see the rest of the group present and accounted for. Eri had indeed fulfilled her promise because there was a final alien corpse present.

"Hughes…the stuff from the ship!"

"Leave it, sergeant. No time!"

"Jane! Come on!" Neil was looking back. Proudfoot was gamely attempting to stay with them, but her encounter with the gray had sapped her strength.

Sprinting beside the tech, Whittaker gave him a shove. "Go on, Neil, I got her." Proudfoot was a few steps behind the sergeant and her sweaty face was showing her distress. She said nothing as Ryan wrapped a powerful arm around her waist and half-carried, half-dragged her to cover. Up ahead, he could see the others as they bounded into the gully; once there Jane disengaged herself and slid down the slope with Whittaker right behind her.

"Aw, shit!" Harper slapped her empty sheath.

"You can always get another one. Don't be such a crybaby."

"Shut up, flyboy–"

Hughes counted down the final few seconds. "Three…two…one…mark!" Everyone tensed, waiting for the explosion…

Nothing happened. Eri lifted her head and shot an accusatory glance at him. He shrugged. "Maybe I was a little early." He belly-crawled up the slope and peeked over the edge. Nothing had changed. "Alien systems aren't known for accurate timekeeping–"

There was a flash and the downed scout was consumed in a yellow and white fireball. Common sense told Hughes to get his ass back below the protection of the rim. A split-second later the air was filled with a coughing roar that punished the ears.

_KA-WHAMM! _

It was as if a giant had slammed a gigantic hammer into the earth. A second explosion joined in and a sudden hot wind swept across the ground, raising a wall of dust and debris. Burning chunks of metal fell like rain; a blackened panel the size of his arm landed in some dry weeds to his right and the growth was instantly ablaze. Another piece big enough to have turned his head to jelly buried itself in the slope nearby. As the reverberations died, Neil spoke for his teammates. "Whoa."

Hughes smiled a little sheepishly. "Then again…maybe my count was a little off."

Something caught Ryan's attention. He cocked his eye skywards and scrabbled for his laser rifle. "Incoming!"

Harper also snapped her weapon up, but stopped. "No, wait!" she cried. The object fell, struck the opposite slope just a couple of meters away, and rolled to a stop. She got up and trotted over to it. "My knife!" The explosion had blown apart the ship, the gear piled outside, and both of the dead grays. She braced a foot against the Sectoid's singed and blackened head and tugged her favorite throwing knife free, punting what was left of her kill back towards the group.

Hughes' earpiece crackled, and then a static-laden voice came through. He concentrated, trying to hear over raised voices…apparently the body part had come to rest too close to Jane for comfort, and she was heatedly arguing with Eri. "What's that? Come in, please…yes, captain, we're all here. There was interference–we couldn't contact you from the ship's immediate vicinity. Yes, we have all of the Elerium, but the scout self-destructed." He stood, listening, glancing at the new crater. "Roger, we're returning to the transport now. Hughes out." Then he looked at the weary, dirty faces below him.

"And do we have a tale to tell…"


	12. Getting the Ball Rolling

**Disclaimer: **Again…FF: TSW characters…not mine. X-COM…not mine.

**Author's Note: **Poor Jane, she wakes up with an Excedrin-sized humdinger of a headache.

Getting the Ball Rolling 

As soon as her eyes opened, Jane realized that she was back in her own quarters. _How did I get here?_ She only vaguely recalled stripping off her armor before checking into the infirmary, but must have done so because she was now wearing her sweat pants and t-shirt. She sat up and immediately regretted it because her head felt as if someone were going at it with a jackhammer and her gut roiled. She eased an arm over the side to grope for the covers; knowing her habit of kicking in her sleep they were probably somewhere on the floor. She snagged them, tossed them back up beside her and then sat there on the edge of her bed in the dark, fighting her nausea. She won the battle and glanced at the dim rectangle of her window, then at the nightstand clock. _Whafuck?_ It was going on twenty-one hundred…that was, what, some four hours since they had returned from the Arizona desert? Her memories of the events following the UFO's self-destruction–exhaustedly boarding the Copperhead, the flight back to base–were spotty at best. _Damn, can I even remember _any_ of it?_ She fumbled at the band that secured her ponytail, impatiently tugging it off then pressed a hand against her brow and focused her thoughts…thinking of how her own body had turned traitor when the alien had attacked, seizing her mind and forcing her to act against her will. Resistance against its psionic powers had proven futile. She was trapped within herself, seeing, hearing, feeling…but not in control, and loss of control was not an option for her. Jane could do nothing but helplessly rage within the round bone prison of her skull as she stood over Ryan, her finger tightening on the trigger, hearing Neil's entreaties but unable to comply. How long it had lasted she hadn't a clue before the malevolent presence had suddenly vanished. What replaced it was a sickening feeling of violation that had made her seethe. She supposed she had Harper to thank now, even though from the time X-COM had arrived, she had noticed Eri damn near slavering over Neil as if he were a piece of meat. And more than once. _Think you can steal Neil from me, eh? _Then she caught herself…she had never really thought of him that way. Yeah, he could be a sweetheart but at the same time he was that pebble caught in your shoe, or that sesame seed trapped between your tooth and gum. _Am I thinking of him as my boyfriend now? My God, I have well and truly lost my mind now. _And yet…

Just then there was a rap on her door. It repeated itself and as Jane recognized it she rolled her eyes in irritation…only one person she knew thought that his "shave-and-a-haircut" knock was anywhere near cute. "Hold on a minute, will you?" she muttered and turned the nightstand lamp on low. She padded across to the door and cracked it open, wincing against the bright hallway outside.

"Hiya, Jane. How are you feeling?" Neil chirped and gave her a sunny grin. "Um, would it be too much to ask to open the door just a wee bit more?"

She turned her back on him and went to sit on the bed again. "Do it yourself. Care to tell me _why_ you're here? And it better be good." Neil ambled in, conveniently forgetting that the door had a faulty return mechanism and, as a result, tended to slam. It did just that and Jane grit her teeth

"Sure. Aki and Dr. Sid contacted both captains, said that they're onto something important. Major Schaeffer wanted everyone to report to the research facility, but I managed to convince her that you needed your beauty sleep–but I promised to look in on you on the way down to the lab. Proof that the urbane Fleming charm works on ladies young and old, wouldn't you say?" He was nauseatingly cheery and Jane eyed the distance between them; had she felt any better she could have gladly put him in a chokehold on the spot. As it was she folded her legs beneath her, Indian style and leaned back against the wall, trying to ignore the vicious headache that refused to go away. "Well, I'm glad for you. Now fill me in on the details."

Neil pulled up a chair and plopped down. It took a real effort for him to look at her; the vision of those terrifying black eyes still remained, and the memory was still frighteningly vivid. Nonetheless he spoke. "When we landed, you got an express ride to medical to get checked out. You, uh…you weren't quite yourself." He scratched his chin nervously and his brow creased in concern. "You were delirious, rambling on about some weird stuff. Me and Ryan were really worried–the head medic said that he'd seen some people handle shock that way, and so they gave you a sedative. Captain Broderick was grateful that there were no casualties and was glad that her team got what they wanted, but Captain Edwards–oh man, he got hella' pissed when he found out that the Black Ops have some way to counter the effects of that alien mind control. Special training and an implant of some kind that cancels out the psionics, I think." Neil shrugged, then chuckled a little.

Jane cocked her head. "What's so funny?"

"When the captain asked Broderick why she wasn't up front about that little secret, she looked him dead in the eye and said, 'You didn't ask.' It would've gotten really ugly if you-know-who hadn't intervened." He held up three fingers and ticked off two. "Three guesses and the first two don't count."

Her mouth lifted into a half-smile. "The sarge, right? Is he okay?"

"'Okay?' Oh, you mean after that little love-tap you gave him? I think he forgives you, although you did raise a bit of a shiner on his jaw. Said maybe you should bat for the local softball team." Neil laughed outright. "As for the captain, I don't think anyone has ever snapped at him like that. Well, correction, Dr. Ross, probably. His face got so red I thought he was going to blow his teeth right out of his mouth." Abruptly his typically impish look faded and Jane stared at him; Neil very rarely wore such a serious expression.

"Jane? What was it like? You know…" His gray eyes searched her brown ones so intently that she had to avert her gaze. She was silent for a moment, then: "I felt…used. Violated." Her fists clenched in helpless fury and her voice, though quiet, was bitter. "It's a rape of the mind. It made me feel weak and vulnerable and I _hated _that. I hated it with a fucking passion." She suddenly smacked a palm against her leg. "Why the hell am I telling _you _all this?!" she snapped, eyes flashing. Right now all she wanted to do was shoo Neil out the door, wash down some aspirin with a huge glass of water and get some more shut-eye. However, the prospect of trekking across the cold linoleum of her kitchen floor wasn't appealing. She lay back down, wrapped herself up in her covers and shut her eyes. She heard him get up and push his chair back. "I guess that now Eri is gloating about saving my ass, right?"

"Actually, she said she hopes that you're okay."

One eye opened and fastened on him. "Bullshit."

"No, she really said it." A pause. "So, you need anything, Jane?"

She almost asked him to fetch the aspirin and water but decided to deal with the pain, which was starting to subside now. "I'm fine, Neil. I'm going back to sleep" Her eye closed.

He got a little closer. "You sure?"

"I said I'm _fine. _Now please, go before you're late and piss off the Major. And don't slam my door on the way out."

"Okay. See ya' later." His footsteps receded, stopped, then returned and before Jane could do anything he leaned over and gave her a little peck on the mouth. Jane surprised both of them by accepting it; deep down she was glad that he had stopped by, but the stubborn old Proudfoot pride demanded that she show two degrees of indifference. His tread withdrew again. Jane killed the light and was just starting to relax when the door slammed shut. "Dammit, Neil!" she groaned and yanked the pillow over her head.

Gray locked the car door, tugging the collar of his coat a little tighter and shoving his hands into his pockets as he slipped between a couple of parked vehicles. A cool breeze made him glance up at the sky. Almost invisible in the dusk, a line of towering cumulous clouds sent down forks of lightning on the near horizon and thunder grumbled faintly. Another Texas thunderstorm was brewing and heading this way. He grunted, entered the main doors of the research facilities and placed a palm on the security plate in the lobby. The receptionist checked the results and pointed him to the nearest elevator. He thanked her as genially as he could and entered, but inside he was still mulling over his talk with Broderick. He jabbed the down button a little harder than he meant to; Gray still hadn't cooled down completely despite Ryan's assurances that what had happened was both unforeseen and unfortunate. Maybe he'd been a little harsh with the Black Ops captain, but that wasn't the point…he could have easily lost his friend and second in command, possibly Jane, and God only knew what else could have happened had it not been for Harper's timely intervention. Was it his fault that he cared so much for his team, especially all that they had gone through over a year ago? X-COM was supposed to work together with them, and this meant sharing everything in order to defeat these newest aliens; withholding pertinent information would only result in delays. In his opinion Cheyenne had almost compromised the effectiveness of the Deep Eyes as a cohesive fighting unit.

The elevator paused for a pickup two floors before his destination and he frowned, but when the doors opened and the passenger entered his scowl vanished and he saluted. "Good evening, major!"

"Good evening, captain. How is the corporal?"

"She's resting in her quarters, doctor's orders. But I plan to keep her informed on whatever it is that Dr. Sid has in store for us." _Hopefully Aki will still be there too. But it would be just like her to work nonstop and make Sid send her home. She's a workaholic, I swear._

"General Tobias is in a meeting, so he sent me to see what the excitement is about." Schaeffer jabbed a button, smiled and cocked her hazel gaze at him. It was odd, Gray noticed, that her smile sometimes didn't quite seem to reach her eyes. "Dr. Sid sounded very animated."

Any further discussion was interrupted as a chime sounded just then. The elevator car stopped and the doors opened onto a subterranean corridor lit at intervals by hidden ceiling lights. Large windows allowed views into some of the non-critical workspaces. The illumination level was kept low so that the technicians, working with light-sensitive holographic equipment, would not be distracted. But the hour was late and there were very few techs to be seen. The two walked down the hall, shoes echoing on the hard floor, to the underground lab where Dr. Sid had bade them report to. They approached another door.

"Allow me." The major had her security pass out and swiped it through the reader on the wall. A beep later and this door opened as well. They strode a few more paces, then turned a corner and just past a single guard, who saluted, was a small group of familiar faces. The entire X-COM squad was present (Cheyenne stood with arms crossed, regarding Gray with a deadpan expression); Ryan and Neil were also here–the sergeant every now and then tenderly touched the left side of his jaw, where a discoloring was still evident even after Aki had used the bioetheric epidermal healer. Aki herself was nowhere to be seen.

Dressed in his lab whites, Dr. Sid was engaged in conversation with Lanier. Upon noticing the new arrivals, he interrupted himself and turned, his bearing upbeat. "Good, now that the major and the captain are here, I'll get right to it." Beneath his wizened lids his eyes sparkled. "Everyone, we've successfully stopped the breakdown of the Elerium!"

A buzz ran through the others, and Broderick couldn't keep surprise from crossing her features. "How was it accomplished?"

"I'll show you. This way, please." The door behind him whooshed open and they were swept into the lab. Once inside they saw that equipment of all sorts had been arranged around a central containment chamber. Slender cables connected it to a few consoles and a couple of techs floated around in the dim background. Aki stepped from behind the chamber's curve, a PDA in one hand, and her eyes caught Gray's for a moment before glancing at her small readout. The pale blues, greens and yellows of the active holographic displays paled before the brilliance of the orb still floating within behind the invisible containment field.

Hughes peered at it. "What in God's name..?" he muttered. Like his fellow teammates, he had a basic understanding of Elerium-115, but this stuff looked…well, different. The amber globe was shot through with discharges of electric blue that flickered over and through it like miniature lightning. Aki explained what they were looking at.

"The original sample was rapidly decaying...its power output was dropping and we were at a loss at how to stop it. What complicates things is the fact that Elerium shifts phase, regularly cycling between inert and organic states. I've seen nothing like it." She shook her head in perplexity. "It's a mystery to me, but at least we were able to stabilize it and halt the deterioration."

Lanier and Hughes gave each other a high-five and Broderick did a double take. _Elerium is half-alive? _This was news to her. Nevertheless the captain held her questions and listened. Even Major Schaeffer looked attentive as the younger scientist continued.

"We exposed the damaged Elerium to a duplicate of the Gaia wave. Now, here's where things really get strange. The wave somehow mutated when it fused with the damaged material, reversing the breakdown and began to restore it. I'm still collating data, so I haven't come up with the exact details yet." She tapped the end of a slender finger against her chin, thoughtfully.

"How about the Elerium we got from the scout?" Tyler asked. He indicated the massive armored door that led to a controlled-access vault. Within rested the alien mineral that they had put their necks on the line to get. "What shape is that in?"

Aki sighed. "That was checked as well, and unfortunately, it too is showing some signs of deterioration."

"Aw, man. All of it?"

She raised her eyes and met Atwood's dark blue ones, which looked almost indigo in the room's low light. "All of it," she replied firmly.

"But," Schaeffer said, "at least we _have _it, and that's more than we can say compared to before. Besides, can't it be recharged too?"

Dr. Sid smiled. "Yes, it can" he said. But his face became serious. "But there is one caveat. The 'recharged' Elerium only has a maximum efficiency of eighty-seven percent. We separated a smaller sample from the main mass, and when we attempted to obtain a higher energy output, it broke down completely. There was no chance of restoration after that." He felt Aki's gaze on him…there was another negative consequence. When the Gaia waveform came in contact with Elerium, it had become irreversibly altered and had dissipated.

"I knew it was too good to be true. Damn." Broderick muttered. Then, louder: "But our thanks to both of you."

Lanier clasped his hands behind his back. He appeared deep in thought and he turned to the scientists. "Before we break out the bubbly, I'd like to see the power signature."

Aki raised an eyebrow inquiringly but called up a display anyway, and the air above the console brightened with a hologram. A 3D portrayal of the output rolled sinuously across a grid background.

Matt poked a finger at the graph and looked inquiringly at Aki, and at her prompting he touched it. He registered the contact as a not-unpleasant sensation– it felt like very slick plastic. An icon formed at the interface, and he began to trace the Elerium's power curve, noting the minor peaks and valleys and where they fell against the background. "Hmmm…"

"What do you mean, 'Hmmm?'" Harper said. "Not good, is it?"

"Seeing as where the phasing begins to decay, this Elerium hybrid won't give us anywhere near enough power for hyperspace travel."

The look on Cheyenne's face was one of keen disappointment, and Aki's heart went out to the captain. Given the circumstances, though, this was the best they could do. Matt ran a hand through his brown hair and tried to allay his captain's concerns. "Look, we have enough power for the engines, and should be able to get the phase cannon working again. Our shields too, and _maybe_ the cloaking generator for brief amounts of time. Those are good things. But the fusion balls…that would required an orbital refinery, for starters. And as for achieving escape velocity? Forget it. We'd be lucky to achieve low orbit." He looked at Aki and Sid. "No disrespect, doctors."

Broderick took a deep breath, held it as she counted to three and slowly exhaled. She placed her hands carefully on the panel of the containment chamber, leaned forward and scrutinized what was floating before her. So, although things weren't quite as rosy as she had hoped, the bottom line was that they at least had a fairly reliable source of power for their ships, heavy weaponry and personal arms, and just as important, they still had allies by their side. And, the data Hughes had downloaded from the scout's computer before it self-destructed had been submitted to the two scientists and the small team of researchers they oversaw. The next objective, locating the mothership, still remained…surely the aliens had to have landed somewhere; it wasn't as if they were on a world tour. Suddenly she gasped and smacked a hand against her forehead as her green eyes widened. "Crap! Of course! If only we had–"

Unexpectedly, it was soft-spoken Atwood who was on her wavelength. "A purer supply of Elerium?" The young pilot and his commanding officer locked gazes with complete understanding and spoke at the same time. "The mothership!"

Gray looked from one to the other. "But how are we going to locate it? Ah, I see." He nodded, catching on. Certainly the aliens' Elerium supply was 'contaminated' by the jump as well, but seeing as how there must be so much more of it aboard that huge craft, the odds of the quantity being more 'pure' than the relatively meager amount that the Black Ops had, was much greater. And maybe, once detection equipment was re-tuned, they would find it. Broderick and Lanier rounded on Dr. Sid and Aki and began to chatter excitedly.

Schaeffer raised her voice. "Captain…Captain Broderick, let's settle down a moment, shall we? Thank you. Now, what is it you need to do next, and how can we assist?"

Cheyenne glanced at a wall clock, caught her lower lip between her teeth and marshaled her thoughts. Even with the not-quite-cheery news regarding their craft, if they could make a lightning raid on the mothership–once it was found–they could obtain the higher-quality Elerium, which could lead to fully operational ships. Then, with the aid of the Deep Eyes, the aliens could be defeated in an all-out assault. But two more things occurred to her at the same time. One, they were all on the clock. The enemy could launch a terror raid, anywhere and at anytime, and second…they still had to find a way to get home. Cheyenne didn't think that Gray had a clue of the pressure she was under.

"Lanier!" she said suddenly. "You, Atwood and Hughes head down to the ships and bring the rest of the Elerium up here. Take the corporal with you. We need both craft ready to deploy on a moments' notice. Doctor Ross, what's the decay factor of the untreated Elerium? I mean, must the restoration process be done as soon as possible, or–"

"We can stabilize it for at least twelve hours, using the stasis equipment here in the lab."

"Excellent."

Gray looked on as the X-COM captain took the reins and began to organize a game plan. He knew exactly how doling out orders felt, and so did Ryan because he was standing with his arms crossed and looking amused. That is, until a pair of green eyes locked onto him and marked him for duty. "Sergeant, what's the status of our suits and weapons?"

"All secured in our armory, ma'am."

"Good, good. Harper, at oh-six-hundred I want you and the sergeant to get our stuff and bring it here to the lab."

Eri pouted. "Six in the morning? That sucks." Instantly, Broderick turned that glittering authoritative gaze on her. "We don't know how long the Elerium restoration will take. You have something else you'd rather do, Harper?"

Actually, she did but she wasn't about to tell her captain. Earlier, she overheard a pair of USMF soldiers (and good-looking guys they were, too!) mention a place called "Underground" Eri suppressed her usually flirty nature–for her a remarkable accomplishment indeed–and followed them soundlessly, eavesdropping all the while. They were speaking in the low, unmistakable undertones of something that was frowned upon by the higher-ups, and she visualized the place as a sleazy hole-in-the-wall where you gambled, drank and proceeded to back up your shit talking in the nearest alley. She had planned to do a little snooping this evening and find out if it really existed. But now, anyway, she had to defer. "No, captain," she mumbled sulkily.

"That's what I thought. I suggest you get a good nights' sleep, 'cause we'll be up before dawn." Before she could continue, however, Lanier pulled her aside and said something, softly. She listened and nodded quickly. "No, I haven't forgotten. Meanwhile, get a move on."

"Aye-aye, cap'n!" He grinned and gave a snappy salute. "Neil, we'll need some wheels again."

"You got it." Neil led the way out, once again oblivious to the fact that Eri was undressing him with her eyes. As the four men left the room Cheyenne spoke briskly to the two scientists. "I need to speak with you about your medical procedures. Brain scans, in particular."

Dr. Sid's eyebrows flew up and Aki blinked. "_Brain _scans? Whatever for? Is Harper suffering from any ill effects?" Could Eri's concussion have been more serious that she first thought?

"No, no, nothing like that at all." The tall Black Ops captain looked at Gray and the others. "It's just a little something that I have in mind. Quite literally, in fact."

The trip to the subterranean storage facilities was a bit more sedate this time, what with Neil driving. They parked outside the smaller door, which he unlocked, and entered. The X-COM ships were still there, not having budged a millimeter since they initially arrived. Atwood and Hughes immediately went over to the smaller ship, unlocked a service panel and withdrew a compact pallet. Contained within was a complete set of field tools, and they began going about pulling the Super Avenger's Elerium pods.

Lanier looked on with approval, then leveled a measuring look at the sole Deep Eye. "I hear you're quite the tech," he said, and Neil smiled nervously. Someone must have blabbed–probably the captain–and he didn't want his reputation to precede him, at least not now. "Uh, I…thanks, I guess." He started to follow Matt as the latter strode towards the other ship.

"Confess, Neil. You've been itching to see inside the Black Phantom, haven't you? Don't try and fool me!"

"Gotta' say she's pretty impressive," he admitted. The engineering of both ships far outstripped the wildest projects that the military eggheads could have ever dreamed up...space travel, anti-gravity, fancy weaponry, the works. And seeing them in action had blown his mind. Too bad the USMF didn't have any anything like this during the Phantom Wars...the technology could have well turned the tide much earlier.

The two stopped before the rear access hatchway and Lanier looked at Neil sidelong. "I'll cut you a deal, my friend…once we get all the Elerium safely up to the lab, I'll give you a little tour of the ship. Any question's you have, ask away. Within reason, that is. How's that sound?"

Neil gaped, then grinned so wide that it was a minor miracle the entire top of his head didn't topple off. The X-COM pilot laughed aloud before pulling out his device that disabled the craft's security systems. He coolly aimed it at the ship and was about to trigger it when he abruptly lowered it and peered at the hatch. His dark brown eyes had narrowed and his lips compressed into a tight line. The man's mood had changed, just like that, and as Neil followed Lanier's gaze upwards at the pair of surveillance cameras near the ceiling he got a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was amiss here. "Was it something I said?"

"Neil," he said, eyes taking in the huge space that was the storage facility. "Tell me that other than the way we just entered, and the main door, that there is no other access to this area?" He formed his statement as a question.

"Well, yeah. I mean, no. Without triggering the alarms and being caught on camera, it would be impossible. This place is like a vault. Why?"

Matt slipped his device back into a pocket, and activated his wrist com unit, ensuring that the channel was secure. "Captain? Lanier here. We have a problem."


	13. A Vision and a Warning

**Disclaimer: **None of the FF:TSW or X-COM characters are mine (although the names of Broderick's squad came from my own head…)

**Author's Note: **Roughly past the half-way mark of this story now and things are starting to get interesting.

A Vision and a Warning 

Whittaker and Harper had just left and Broderick was beginning to explain to the others the basics of the psi-implant when Lanier's call came in. She pardoned herself, half-turned and listened. Then she spat a most unlady-like oath.

"_WHAT?! _How the hell could that have happened? I don't give a fart in a high wind…you double-check and triple_-_check if you have to! Everything better be accounted for, and I do mean _everything_! Broderick out." She was partially facing away from them, but her jaw tensed as she grit her teeth. Then she turned again, green eyes stormy. "It appears," she said in a grim voice, "that the Black Phantom has tampered with."

Major Schaeffer's brow creased. "Utterly impossible! That is a secure facility. We have cameras and motion sensors­–"

She ordinarily would not have dared to interrupt a senior officer but right now she was too incensed to care. "I don't know how it happened, nor do I particularly care about the details at this moment. But the fact is, there was a break-in attempt." Her gaze was fearsome, but Gray ventured to speak.

"How did Lanier find out?"

At this, Cheyenne's scowl lightened a little and she astonished them with a short bark of laughter. "Matt has rather…unique methods of doing things sometimes. In this case, he used an old favorite."

"And that is?" Gray prompted.

"He taped a hair across the hatchway seam."

The major blinked, and gave her an incredulous look. "A…_hair_?"

"Well, it worked, that's for sure. But now the question is, what can we do about it?" She irritably drummed her fingers on a desktop. If X-COM technology were to fall into the wrong hands…

Schaeffer appeared thoughtful for a moment, and then brightened. "Effective immediately, I can post a guard detail at the storage facility. In addition, captain, I'll arrange for an escort for your people when they return with the Elerium. I'll review the security camera footage, and this will be brought to the general's attention, of course."

"Thank you, Major." she said gratefully. "That would be appreciated." As Schaeffer left to put her proposal into action, the Black Ops captain addressed Dr. Sid and Aki. "Where was I? The implants. Hughes and Lanier have the idea of constructing them on a larger scale and incorporating them into the helmets of the Deep Eyes. That way, captain, your team would be protected from the alien mind control attacks. I'm willing to submit to a scan that would allow you to replicate one on a larger scale. Can it be done?"

Dr. Sid adopted a contemplative pose, one hand caressing his chin. His expertise was in the bioetheric field but he could use some help here, perhaps more than Aki could provide. "I have an associate–Zander, I recall. He's in the R&D department, and owes me a couple of favors. With his assistance we may come up with something. It really depends on what we find in your head," he finished wittily.

Broderick couldn't help but smile a little herself. "Some things you should know, then. First, the implant doesn't show on scans because the shell is diffusion-bonded tritanium carbide. If you reconfigure your equipment, it should be detectable. Second, it's powered by the body's natural electrical impulses. No internal power cell to expire or detect."

Sid listened with interest. Hopefully the implant wouldn't prove to be too complex to reverse-engineer. Zander would probably find it simple.

"And there's one final thing. Part of the active circuitry utilizes alien alloys. It's not that complex, but nothing else will work."

Gray could sense the direction she was taking. "Which means…another mission out to the crash site. Correct?"

"Afraid so, captain." She took a seat. "But not much would be needed…just some bits and pieces of the UFO's hull plates. We'll need to get in, secure the objective and dust off. Hell, it shouldn't take more than ten minutes." At that instant her wrist-com warbled again.

"Captain, I've completed inspecting the ship. Whoever the intruder was, they didn't get inside."

"A curiosity-seeker, I wonder? What's the status on the pods?"

"We're almost halfway through already. Oh, did you decide that we needed some company? Four MP's just showed up."

"Be nice, Matt. That was the Major's idea. Those are your escorts."

"Oh. Well, then–see you in a few. Lanier out."

As he signed off, a series of musical chimes rang out from somewhere in the lab. Broderick looked around, but Dr. Sid chuckled. "Don't worry, that's just my old clock. It's an antique…somewhat like myself, I might add." The quaint timepiece sitting on a shelf indicated that it was going on eleven. "It's been a long day. Might I suggest that we retire once the others return with the Elerium and it's secure here? Then we can continue in the morning, starting with Captain Broderick's examination."

Aki gasped and awoke with a cry, sitting bolt upright and clutching her bed sheets around her. Even though the window was cracked open to the warm Houston night she was shivering. Her skin was damp with sweat and her eyes darted around as she tried to reassure herself that she was indeed in familiar surroundings.

The dreams had returned.

Her heart gave another kick when a pair of sapphire ovals opened near the foot of her bed and turned in her direction. Sighing, Aki absently stroked Mikuni's fur, sighed and lay back down, trying to make sense of it all in the gloomy morning hours…

After the meeting in the lab Gray had offered to give her a lift home, since it was still wet outside from the brief thunderstorm that had rolled through. Aki was too tired to drive and had ended up dozing off on the way back from work. The next thing she knew her shoulder was being shaken, gently.

"Aki? Hey, wake up. We're here." He had pulled up and parked in front of her apartment complex, and now his face came into view, brown eyes watching her intently.

She stretched and straightened up in the car's passenger seat. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Gray. I recognize that look," she chided. "Now, are you going to let me know what's up, or do I have to force it out of you?"

He sighed and leaned a forearm on the wheel, his gaze serious. "You were talking in your sleep, Aki. About Gaia again. What's going on?"

"Was I?" she asked innocently, but tightened her grip on her small case full of paper files and holographic data disks all the same. Then she laughed. "Must be overwork." She reached into the rear seat and grabbed her jacket and made to open the door, but paused; Gray looked totally unconvinced with her explanation, and his expression tugged at her heart._ If I weren't so tired I'd invite him upstairs, so this will have to do for now. _Aki cupped his face, drawing it towards hers, and she gave him a kiss, brief but deep. "Thanks for the ride. And don't worry...I'm okay, really." She gathered her things and opened the door, turning to face him once she was outside.

"Aki, listen, I know how busy you are…well, that makes two of us, actually," Gray said. He reached across the now-vacant passenger seat and took her hand. "But when we get a break from all of this–"

She gently squeezed his hand in return. "Yes. Dinner at my place, for starters. That's a promise." She grinned almost shyly and shut the door, waved goodbye and watched as he pulled off. It only took a few minutes for her to reach her apartment on the second floor. She rifled through her pockets for her key, found it, and was about to unlock her door when she heard her name being called.

_Aki…_

She glanced around… did Gray come back? But no, the hallway was empty and the doors to the other dwellings were all closed. She stood there listening a moment more, then shook her head and entered her own apartment. Mikuni mewed a greeting and twined about her legs and she gave him a token scratch between his ears. His feeding bowl was still partially full so he obviously wanted attention instead of food. Aki discovered she barely had the energy to fix anything to eat for herself–not like she was hungry anyway. She glanced at her computer screen. There were some unread personal messages (non were flagged urgent, though) and the usual spam email…it could all wait until tomorrow. She tossed her file case onto her desk, not caring when some of its contents tumbled out onto the floor, then changed into her favorite sweats and t-shirt, gave her teeth a hasty cleaning, crawled under the covers and was asleep in five minutes with her cat curled up by her feet.

And then she found herself walking in green fields, under a clear high noon sky in which the sun shone warmly. She felt safe and content. These were not the ominous visions that haunted her over a year ago. The edge of a vast forest, something she thought she'd never see in her lifetime, loomed to her right. There was movement among the shadows of the trunks and something stepped out, stopping to look at her, one ear twitching. _A deer! _Aki was delighted and as she watched two more emerge. They gave her a brief glance before lowering their heads to nibble at the grass which grew, she now saw, near a small bubbling brook. Above her there was twittering and the fluttering of wings as a flight of birds swept past her, scolding each other as they circled and landed in the nearby branches. Hidden insects hummed and buzzed sleepily in the underbrush.

She smiled…this was earth, her birth planet, restored. The world that she saved and she hoped would be home to future humanity.

_ You have done well, Aki Ross._

She froze in mid-step and looked about her. "Who's there?" She noticed that the animals had suddenly disappeared.

_Do you not know that which you struggled and sacrificed to save?_

It was difficult to tell where it was coming from–it sounded both in her ears and within her mind. "'Saved?' Who are you?" For a moment there was nothing. Then there was a sound like thousands of voices harmonizing into one, and before her the grass flattened out as if a wind were blowing straight down…but only in that one spot. It forced her to squint against it, but then her eyes widened and she took a step back.

Sparks had formed in the air; brilliant even in the daylight. There were hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, swirling in a tight column. Aki gasped as she recognized their color…it was a very familiar blue. The vortex tightened and shone even brighter, shading into brilliant white before fading into a shape that was human and quite feminine. This figure hovered, its feet just above the ground, with glowing ribbons orbiting its unclothed form. The hair was composed of filaments of light that moved of their own volition. The face was blank and unfinished, but the eyes, blazing and full of intelligence, held Aki spellbound.

_Is this better? _The voice was a union of male and female, _anima _and _animus, _and it was the same voice that she had heard outside of her apartment door.

"Wha–" But Aki already suspected the reply.

_I am the eternal spirit of the earth. I am that which you call 'Gaia'._

Aki was astounded, but not really surprised. After all, hadn't she speculated that the earth's spirit was sentient? "There's so much I want to ask you, to know–"

_And so you shall, in time. Our eternal gratitude to your efforts to purge us of the phantom Gaia. _

_I have looked into your mind and taken this form, to better communicate to you the imminent danger._

Her heart hammered. "'Danger?' To us?"

The otherworldly voice held a note of forewarning. _To all you hold dear, and to the sprits at peace within us. Open your mind, Aki Ross, and you shall see what approaches. _Detecting no deception hidden within the request, Aki closed her outer eyes and opened her inner ones, seeing as a dream-within-a-dream herself still standing there, but a horrible feeling of foreboding overcame her.

_Behold, _the ethereal voice bade. She turned to see a solid wall of black clouds boiling across the hills towards her. They covered the sky like huge festering tumors, blotting out the sun, emitting angry grumblings, rolling into and devouring each other. A cold, biting wind heralded their approach, and where their shadows passed over the ground, the green fields became as gray and lifeless as the moon's surface. Leaves turned brown and dead brittle branches struck the forest floor. Gasping with fear Aki noted that the deer had reappeared, but they were not as living animals. They were hideously animated just-gone corpses that danced and bleated before collapsing into piles of bone and putrefying flesh.

"What is this?" Aki cried out, appalled at the sight. "Stop it! Stop it now!"

She turned, seeking an answer, an explanation…anything that would erase this horrid vision. But Gaia did not answer, for the being of light was gone. Aki shivered in the near-darkness, desperately wanting to escape this nightmare. Lightning reached down and thunder growled among the dark clouds overhead but no rain fell from them. And in the flickering illumination, she saw a figure silently standing on a nearby rise, backlit by an eerie glow on the horizon. She could not see the face but knew that it was watching her with eyes as yet unseen. The tatters of a black leather trench coat snapped in the wind. Aki took an involuntary step back when she saw a glint of light; another lightning stroke had been reflected from a badge or medal fastened on the figure's coat. With a growing sense of dread, a name swam up from the depths of her mind. _No…it couldn't be him! He's dead!_

A spiteful grin, like the rind of a crescent moon reflected in a winter pond, arose on a face that was a featureless black oval. As it had heard her thoughts, it raised its arms, spreading them almost beseechingly. But they were scarecrow arms, inhumanly long, stretching meters to either side, and Aki found that in the midst of her terror she could not flee. And now something else was happening: both of the rotting upraised hands were sheathed in the shredded remains of leather gloves, and floating above the bony cobwebs that formed one palm was an orange sphere of Elerium. A flare of blue flickered in the other hand, and what appeared there made Aki clench her own fists. It was Gaia, but smaller, and curled up in a fetal position. The thing looked from one hand to another and then turned its non-existent face to her.

"Precious Elerium in one hand…precious Gaia in the other. What shall it be?" His voice was calm, conversational, carrying easily to her even in the midst of the storm. It still held his characteristic arrogance.

Her anger overcame her fear. "What is it to you, general? You died aboard the Zeus station!" And all the while, one phrase rang in her head, over and over again in an endless loop: _And you killed Gray! You killed Gray!_

"My good doctor, please. Control yourself." The Elerium and Gaia vanished and his arms shrank to more human dimensions. In an eyeblink he had moved from the rise and stood a pace before Aki with not a slicked-back hair out of place. His clothes were intact. He clasped his hands behind his back, and now she could clearly see his face…it was the haughty Hein of old. His ice-gray eyes bored into hers. "Maybe my spirit resides in this fanciful Gaia of yours…or maybe I still remain among the living. Who knows? Or cares? God knows I certainly don't." He kicked at the ashy ground that contained the bones of tiny animals, scattering several of them. In fact, the entire landscape had become a necropolis, with innumerable skeletons–both animal and human–crumbling into white powder.

"I don't believe anything you say!" she snarled, eyes flashing beneath an angry brow. "Couldn't you have seen that we could have eliminated the Phantoms without further risk? If it weren't for you, New York wouldn't have suffered! And the Deep Eyes–"

"Wouldn't have died?" Hein smirked.

Aki gaped and placed a palm against her chest, her spine ramrod straight in shock. "How…how did you know that?"

"Oh, maybe a little Phantom told me." His thin lips lifted in a narrow leer. "But that's neither here nor there, Dr. Ross. The thing is, you are here for a reason. I am merely an emissary." He pointed at a particularly baleful-looking cloud. "One danger has been eliminated, yet another threatens this trivial little ball of dirt you call home. As your Gaia might say, dear doctor…'behold'!"

The cloud he indicated had lowered, and from within it the leading edge of a huge disc emerged, pushing bands of the poisonous vapor before it in a bow wave of prodigious proportions. It was the alien mothership, and it came straight towards them, its rumbling engines driving a spike of dull agony into Aki head. The noise seemed to swallow the world. Hein had tilted his head back to look almost in admiration at the endless ocean of metal sliding past. Then he snapped back around to look at Aki, and it was the sight of a face now completely stripped to the bone, lidless gray eyes wildly staring from their sockets, that catapulted her up, breathless, from the abyss of sleep.

Glaring from atop the collar of his leather trench coat, General Hein's denuded skull spoke: _"Save us!"_


	14. Return to the Wastelands

**Disclaimer: **The usual cry-me-a-river disclaimer goes here…

**Author's Note: **Guilty as charged. I took too long to even start this one. I pray that I'm not running out of ideas! Enjoy with a plate of cookies, it's a long one this time.

**Disclaimer: **The usual cry-me-a-river disclaimer goes here…

Return to the Wastelands 

Neil occupied the Black Phantom's weapons control position during the outbound flight and was enjoying his role as a guide, under the promise to his captain that he would curb his usual temptation to meddle. He had, though, taken Lanier up on his offer, asking all about the ship, X-COM, and of course, the aliens. Matt found himself fielding a barrage of questions but handled it all in his characteristically unruffled demeanor.

"So, you guys can enter hyperspace? What's it like?" His mind was conjuring up random scenes from old sci-fi movies that he collected.

"Nothing to write home about. No, really, Neil. Once you get used to the jumps, it becomes rather routine, in fact."

"Oh." For a moment he could think of nothing else to inquire about, so he looked at the instruments around him again, the gauges and displays glowing in cool blues and vivid reds. The X-COM ship appeared no more complex than, say, a standard USMF aircraft…hell, he could probably fly it, no problem. What surprised him was the styling. Compared to a Copperhead's hard-edged militaristic functionality, this had a bizarrely retro design, all smooth curves and flowing lines. But this did not mean that the ship was also old-fashioned in its performance…quite the contrary, as he had had the opportunity to witness just what it was capable of firsthand. Another question popped into his head, but the first syllable wasn't out of his mouth before Captain Broderick interrupted him. Her voice came not over the ship's internal com system, though. It was just behind him–she had left the rear cabin and poked her head into the cockpit, her gloved hands grasping the edges of the narrow doorway. With her red hair braided again and standing out in stark contrast against her black armor, she resembled a futuristic Valkyrie.

"How are we doing up here, gentlemen? Is the corporal behaving himself?" Her eyes held the hint of a smile.

Lanier answered with a chuckle. "No problems, ma'am. I think he's still full of awe and wonder. As for the ship, not too shabby considering that she's flying with only half her Elerium pods. I retuned the engines for standard fuel use, so we should get there and back without incident. But, you remember what I said earlier this morning…"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know," she sighed. It had been her decision to take the Black Phantom over the Copperhead, even though both Hughes and Lanier had cautioned her that only either the phase cannon or the cloaking generator could be used, but not both. There was simply not enough of the recharged Elerium available yet to power both systems concurrently; running the shields on minimal power was already taking a noticeable chunk out of the power pool. In the end the pilot and the tech had convinced her to opt for stealth, reassuring her that between Lanier's piloting skills, smart use of the cloaking device and the ship's speed, they could avoid any hostiles long enough to escape. The scanners were kept at maximum, but they had had friendly skies ever since they left Houston airspace. "Corporal, what's our distance to the crash site?"

Neil consulted a chart that Lanier had pulled up on a small screen for him. "According to the route and the intercept point that Atwood gave us, we have a half-hour ETA. But I know a shortcut."

"'Shortcut', eh?"

A grin grew on his face. "Yeah. Could shave off like, ten minutes."

She pondered this for exactly two seconds before unexpectedly returning his grin. "You heard the man, Matt. Do it." The floor tilted beneath her feet as her order was carried out, and she turned to make her way aft. Jane glanced up as she entered the cabin but Gray was saying something into his helmet mike. He listened, nodded, then signed off.

"So, what's the word?" Broderick asked, squeezing herself into one of the thinly padded seats across the narrow aisle from him.

"That was Aki. Sid and a couple of neuroscientists have finished studying your cranial scans from this morning. They think this psi device is feasible, but need the material before they're absolutely certain." That said he sat back, the butt of his nocturne resting on the floor, and gazed around the cabin–it was relatively roomy compared to what he was used to. "Quite a ship you have here."

"Thanks. She's just the prototype, but she's certainly been through the wringer. Command wanted to build up a fleet of these ships. They planned to infiltrate every alien base in the Frontier, in a single massive strike, to stall the bugs long enough so that we could somehow manage to destroy that Doomsday device they kept raving about. I'd sure like to know how things are faring back home." Paused, then changed the subject. "Has the major mentioned anything on the break-in?"

Gray shook his head. "I haven't heard any news yet. I'm sure that there's good reason for the delay…"

"Feh. How long does it take to review some video footage?" she grumped and tugged her heavy plasma rifle free from its rack beside her seat. "And while I'm on the subject of security…can I rest assured that our presence on your base has been kept under wraps?"

He was wondering when she was going to get around to mentioning this. "Not to worry. General Tobias keeps everyone in line, from his command on down. And the council is trustworthy. Your secret is safe." _As is the fact that the Deep Eyes were essentially resurrected, _he thought, but the next second banished the thought from his mind.

The answer appeared to satisfy her, at least for the moment. "Thing is," she admitted, "I'm afraid that a couple of my more brash squad members are getting restless. They know that we're essentially on alert until the current situation is resolved. But they might decide to sneak off into Houston or something."

"Care to say whom?"

Her armored shoulders raised and dropped in a shrug. "Well, if you really want to know…Eri is one, of course. Martin is another."

Gray blinked. He could see Harper bending some rules, but Hughes? Cheyenne must have noticed his quizzical expression and she laughed. "Don't forget, Martin 'Horndog' Hughes has abnormally high testosterone levels, which means he's a Casanova in his own mind. If there are any singles bars or strip joints around, he'll find 'em. I'll bet my watch and warrant on it."

Beside Gray, Jane seemed to be only half-listening. This did not escape her captain's notice. He had almost declined her request to join this mission, but she told him that the only way she felt she could redeem herself was to prove she was fit for duty. The medics had given the okay. Not wanting to question her earnestness, Gray had agreed. Now, as Broderick fussed with her weapon, he leaned over towards her. "Jane? How are you feeling?" he asked in a low voice.

Long accustomed to air transport, Jane ignored ship's slight jolts. "Okay, I suppose, sir," she said. Her eyes traced the small oblong of sunlight from a side view port, which slid across the metal-grated floor as the Black Phantom turned onto yet another heading. Her fingers were restlessly drumming on her armored leg and she made a conscientious effort to stop. She was usually so cool and composed. _This isn't like me, _she thought. _Did that creature do something to me, something that affected me permanently? _Her introspection was interrupted as the cabin bounced once, then again, slightly more violently. Cheyenne swayed but managed to hang onto her rifle; Gray's modified nocturne almost slipped from his own grasp and Jane tightened her grip on the armrests as her restraints grew taut against her.

"What the hell–?" Broderick spat.

The com crackled. "My apologies, captain. Corporal Fleming's route is taking us over some mountains, and we ran into a little clear-air turbulence, but we should be okay. As a matter of fact, we've just entered Arizona. Just so you know."

She grunted. "Copy that."

Jane scowled. _"_We're following _Neil's _route? Good God. If Lanier lets him take the stick, I'll kill both of them, I swear." Overhearing her, Gray managed to keep a straight face, but couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. _Looks like she's back, _he thought.

"Captain? You may want to take a look off our two o'clock. A rather interesting sight, I think." The transport leveled out as her pilot spoke. Broderick craned her neck, leaning forward a bit to peer through the nearest thick view port. Although the curve of the wing obscured some of the view, she could see the remains of a sizeable city almost a kilometer or so away, half-concealed by the haze, sitting in a natural basin formed by the surrounding mountains. The huge barrier support arches had collapsed like the bleached ribs of some fallen mythical beast, and low-lying buildings surrounded the tall blocky towers of skyscrapers within. Abandoned freeways, littered with the derelict hulks of dust-covered cars and other transports, looped about the deserted metropolis. Quite a few were nothing but burned-out shells. Cheyenne squinted against the bright daylight. "Another barrier city? But, what happened to it?"

"That's what's left of Tucson Barrier City Thirteen. It fell in late 2059; there was a structural failure in the primary bio-etheric pipeflow conduits," Gray explained. "The barrier failed. Only a third of the population managed to escape into the hills, but before they could be rescued, the phantoms that roamed the wastelands reduced _that_ number by half." He stopped for a moment. "It's unknown if it'll ever be rebuilt."

Listening to his words, the Broderick suppressed a shiver as she wondered how many tens of thousands must have lost their lives to the invisible enemy. She was going to ask more about it but Lanier's voice broke in. "We're coming up on the crash site. You guys may want to prep for landing."

"Roger." Her stomach was left behind as the ship dropped. She reached behind her, unfastening her helmet from its holder and regarded Gray and Jane. "You know, I was thinking…after touchdown you should remain aboard while Matt and I do a quick sweep. Just to make sure the area is clear before we start our little salvage operation, mind." Gray appeared pensive but she continued. "Don't worry, captain. Even if there _are _telepathic aliens around, their powers can't penetrate the ship's shields and hull. Once they're wiped you can join us. How's that sound?"

"Suits me. Jane?"

The corporal merely shrugged before saying, "Pray you get to them before I do…my trigger finger is rather itchy today." The feral smile that touched her lips suggested that very unpleasant things would happen to any foe unfortunate to cross her path. Gray thought that if Neil had seen Jane's expression he would have fled in the opposite direction as fast as possible.

The next moment the whine of the engines changed pitch and the Black Phantom's airspeed dropped even more. The ground finally came into view outside the view ports, obscured by a surprisingly small amount of dust as Lanier eased them to a typically smooth landing. The wheels touched the ground with a gentle thump and they were down.

"No sign of hostiles. Come on out and join the party, captain." Cheyenne clicked the safety back on and opened her faceshield. "But there's something you may want to see for yourself…"

A few minutes later Gray and Jane were standing beside her. Proudfoot opened her own helmet and stared in disbelief. "I don't get it. This is the spot."

"Not that we don't believe you, Jane, but in case you haven't noticed, the UFO decided to take a powder." She could hear the grin in his voice and tossed glare a up at the cockpit, barely able to make out the figure behind the canopy's transparent alloy. "No shit, Neil, how very perceptive of you. Why aren't you out here helping us, anyway?"

"I tasked him to monitor the instruments, just in case any uninvited guests decide to show," Lanier explained.

"Really? I think he's chicken."

"I heard that…"

"Cut it out, guys." Gray looked at the shallow crater where the downed alien ship once sat. The blast should have scattered fragments everywhere. But every substantial chunk of debris had vanished. He began to walk ahead, glancing around warily, finding himself unnaturally alert…he grunted something and forced himself to loosen up. Jane looked at him inquiringly. "Sir?"

"Part of me expects to see phantoms popping up any second," he said, half-jokingly. "I guess you never forget that old HMA training." The others trailed behind loosely.

"Hmm…"

"What is it?" Gray asked, his attention switching tracks.

Lanier was down on one knee, inspecting the sandy ground, then turned his gaze to a small rise nearby. He stood once more and faced the others, his brown eyes puzzled in his open helmet. "There are boot prints that lead over there," he pointed upslope. "Human-sized. Corporal, I presume that's where everyone took cover when the ship self-destructed?"

Jane nodded. "Yes. There's a small ravine on the other side."

"I see. We can assume, then, that someone else has been here since your departure and removed the UFO's remains. But who, and how did they pull it off?"

"Exactly. I don't see any evidence of ground transportation…no vehicle tracks." Gray eyed the surrounding hilltops. Do you think–?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Broderick said. "Okay. Let's spread out. Maybe there's still some stuff that we can salvage."

Over the next fifteen minutes or so, they managed to find only a few suitable scraps of alien alloy, either half-buried beneath drifts of soil or lying underneath the rugged brush that dotted the area. None of the debris, however, was larger than a handbreadth. They convened back at the Black Phantom and Broderick retrieved a storage bin from inside; it now contained a small collection of charred and blistered chunk of metal, all that they could find that could amount to anything. Gray was inspecting a curved irregular piece. Part of it was charred black, but the remainder was an iridescent blue-green and it weighed nearly nothing. "I hope we have enough," he said, handing it over to Lanier.

"Should be. The material has superconducting properties at room temperature. That's why it's ideal for circuitry." He added it to their collection, then sighed. "Whoever scoured this place was damn thorough."

"Indeed." Broderick placed the lid on the container and locked it down. "But it looks like we got enough here, so–"

Neil's voice broke in over their suit radios. "I hate to be a party-pooper but it looks like we have company."

Broderick instinctively scanned the sky. "Report!"

"Single contact, incoming from the southeast and heading straight for this area. The computer is flagging it as unknown."

Without a word Gray handed his rifle to Cheyenne and grabbed one end of the container. Jane grasped the other handle and both of them lugged it back into the ship. Once everyone was aboard Lanier palmed the main hatch controls and bolted to the cockpit, squeezed by Neil's offset seat and initiated the ignition sequence as he belted in. The gravity resist system activated and the Black Phantom was airborne even before the rear ramp had closed completely. He looked at his scanner…the bogey was approaching at a steady speed, descending from a moderate altitude. It was uncertain if they had been noticed yet. Lanier attempted to increase the resolution, and the next moment an image formed on his screen. It was another UFO, a good-sized one, but unfortunately the details were unclear. He his terrain sensors and frowned. There was no direct route out…the surrounding hills would force him to climb and risk detection. "Neil, if you know any more shortcuts, now would be an excellent time to say so."

The tech thought furiously, trying to recall the layout of the terrain around them. Now, if he were flying, which way would he go? He brightened and snapped his fingers. "Straight ahead, northeast about twenty kilometers. Stay low. Then turn twelve degrees east and head around the backside of Tucson. There are some canyons there that'll put us out in the flatlands." He was about to say more when a wave of blue brilliance flickering across the canopy caught his attention. "What was that?"

"Cloaking field. We're invisible now." The land outside had was one big tan blur less than a fifty meters below as they blasted away from the crash site. "But with a minimal amount of Elerium, there's no telling how long we can remain so." He activated the com system. "Hang on back there. We're going to be doing some crop-dusting," and clicked off before any objections could be made. Neil took his advice, gripping his armrests as they dropped even lower, hugging the landscape and swerving in an evasive pattern. The horizon tilted in a stomach churning way as the Black Phantom swung around the bases of rocky desert bluffs and outcroppings; the reverberations of the ship's engines boomed off of the shallow canyon walls around them. He didn't even want to think what would happen if they clipped one of the numerous spurs of rock jutting up from the chasm floor, but he _did_ wonder–rather mischievously–how Gray and Jane were enjoying the ride. The tech grinned as the Black Phantom stood on a wingtip and threaded herself through a slot formed by a narrow archway of rock and sandstone. This ride made his secret dream of daredevil flying come true, even if he was only just flying shotgun. Neil made a mental note to ask Matt for some flying lessons soon…

After a few more minutes their speed slackened as Matt throttled back slightly. "Status on bogey?" he inquired.

Neil reached up and wiped his sweaty face with a hand that shook slightly. "Looks like we got away…he's actually taking another heading. Maybe it's too much to ask if he's just out for a nice Sunday drive." Suddenly beeps shrilled in the tight confines of the cockpit, making him jump. "I didn't touch anything!"

"It's not you, Neil. Our cloak is on the fritz," Lanier said grimly. As if to underscore this statement the faint blue haze shimmered around them again, but rapidly faded into nothingness. A glance at the generator output revealed that the bar graph had already sunk below its borderline. "That's what I was afraid of…generator's offline."

"Not good?"

"It's rather _ungood, _actually. Not only is the genny down, the phase cannon is useless. We don't have enough Elerium." A second alert sounded. "And to add to the fun, our friend has noticed our presence." The scanner screen showed that the UFO had altered its course again and was arrowing straight for them. He silenced the alarms as they had emerged from the maze of tight canyons and they emerged into a wide gorge. What lay before them left him momentarily speechless. Lying among debris and wreckage was an indescribable collection of all types of vehicles…here was the broken fuselage of some type of military airship, cracked open like an eggshell, while to his left were the recognizable remains of a fallen Copperhead, and just beyond that sprawled a cluster of ground vehicles. And, as they flew on, he could pick out other things, smaller objects that lay here and there. He shut his eyes, briefly, and wished he hadn't seen them.

They were bodies. Human bodies, dressed in corroded suits of armor. An occasional flash of white betrayed the presence of bone. What they were flying through was a graveyard of the dead, and the sight shocked him. "Where are we?" he asked. His usually cool, calm and collected voice contained a trace of distress.

Neil's reply lacked its usual jollity. "This is the site of the last Phantom Cleansing Mission, also known as the Battlefield Wastelands."

The console chirped. "Christ on a pony, he's still on our tail. I'm going to have to set us down, like now. There must be somewhere–"

Neil bit his lip, mind awhirl...they couldn't fight, couldn't escape undetected. There was only one option left and that was to hide. And as luck would have it, as they rounded a rust-colored butte another wreck hove into view, a huge one that sat near the edge of an expansive body of water. "God is good! That may work. Take us in!"

"You're nuts!"

"So I've been told. You got a better idea?"

Lanier didn't answer, but flew alongside the corroded hulk, which was hundreds of meters long. It looked like an aircraft carrier, with a distinctive top deck and command tower. He spotted several holes through which collapsed decking and broken framework was visible, but none of the openings were large enough to provide access. He goosed the throttle and swung around to the other side, and here a huge split had broken the massive ship's back in two. It was going to be tight; he nudged the stick and angled the hovering Black Phantom in, just scraping between the jagged edges to pass into the concealing shadows. Inside, all was dark except for the sunlight that shone randomly through the smaller gaps overhead, dappling the X-COM ship as it rode in on its anti-gravs, nosing carefully between the smashed hull plates and bent supports, a spotlight searching for a suitable spot to touch down. A little further in and the light revealed a sizeable piece of shattered decking that lay beside a bulkhead; at least it looked level and solid enough. The ship pivoted around to face the way they came in before carefully setting down. As soon as it landed the drives faded. Lanier wiped sweat off his brow.

"That was close. What is this place, Neil?"

_"__Agamemnon _class military carrier. Well, what's left of it anyway."

"A carrier?" Lanier looked at Neil in the interior cockpit mirror, wondering if he heard correctly. "I'm not even going to dare ask what a ship is doing out in the middle of the desert."

"Simple. There used to be a big lake here, and this was used as a command post during the Phantom Cleansing operation." Neil shrugged. "Well, the phantoms overran this position from a hidden nest nearby. The remainder of the overland forces fell back but not before the carrier was scuttled. I wasn't here, but that's the way the story goes, anyway."

A tall form filled the cockpit doorway again. "But an interesting one. So, hiding here was your idea?" Cheyenne inquired mildly.

"Er, yes, captain. Best thing I could think of considering the circumstances." He gave a grin. "Sorry."

"What about? Good bit of quick thinking, corporal." She winked but her next sentence was cut short. An enormous racket came from outside and ship canted dangerously on her undercarriage, almost tossing Broderick off her feet, but she manage to grab the forward bulkhead. The view out of the cockpit dimmed as a cloud of dust enveloped the ship. The noise seemed to go on forever, and then it was finally over. Cheyenne shook her head, trying to clear her ringing ears. _"Now _what? Is everyone okay? Matt, what happened?"

"Hold on." He consulted a readout that spat some data back. "That's our problem…some junk fell on us. Debris, I bet." He looked up at the braced ceiling far above them, more than likely the underside of another deck. "It's a good probability that this wreck is not all that stable."

"Nice going, Neil," came a biting comment from the rear cabin.

"Okay, Jane, then you come up with something better," he said, frowning. He turned to Matt. "See what I mean? I bust my butt thinking of ways to save us and _this_ is the thanks I get…"

"Stow it, you two." Gray strode aft, grabbed an overhead handhold and tried to see out, but the gloom outside was too thick. "Is there any damage?"

The systems still showed green. "Negligible. She's a tough bird." The canopy cracked partway open and Lanier unfastened himself, coughing from the dust that still swirled about. He procured a small electric torch from somewhere in the cockpit, switched it on, leaned out and pointed the beam aft. Then he swore. A thick beam lay angled across the portside wingtip and a tailfin. They were trapped, and he relayed the news.

"But we can move it, right?"

"Probably," Lanier answered, re-sealing the canopy and shifting his gaze to Gray. "But we'll have to wait until our guest stops poking about out there. Neil, still have that thing on scope?"

He checked. On the small rectangular screen, a blob was nearing a faint irregular outline that contained a smaller, solid shape within…the wreckage and the X-COM craft, respectively. It slowed as it closed in on a slightly different tack.

"Can they get a fix on us?" Gray asked, peeking over the seat back at the display.

"Hopefully not," Broderick said. "The resolution is rather sketchy, though. Can we improve it?"

"Not without increasing sensor power."

"But if that would–oh, damn! Go to passive sensors and shut down everything else! Quickly! And silence, everyone. Our lives depend on it."

Without questioning her command Lanier moved his hands over the controls, and with a dying whine everything went dark. The twin sensor displays dimmed as well since they were now relying on information gathered by the Black Phantom's non-active systems. The image quality decreased; the enclosing wreck around them affected the readings, but is also hampered the aliens' search for their quarry. It was a fair trade-off. As the chatter from the instrumentation went silent, another sound became evident. It was the UFO, somewhere outside of the derelict bur close by. Broderick chewed her bottom lip. This was like the WWII cat-and-mouse games she that U-boats and sub-chasers played…the subs remaining silent under crushing depths, their crews daring not to make sound, not while the enemy circled above, listening intently for the squeak of a valve, the hum of an electric motor, or even a stifled cough, any one of which could result in a rain of depth charges.

The ominous noise grew.

"There!" Neil whispered hoarsely, pointing at the gap they had entered through. A shadow slipped across the jagged fissure, blocking the light. It appeared easily twice as large as the downed scout, but it did not have the classic saucer configuration. To the pair of X-COM operatives, this UFO was just another machine, albeit one of an unconventional design. But to the Deep Eyes–Gray, Jane and a tense Neil–their pursuer was something out of a nightmare. In the dark it was difficult to make out details, but they could still discern the monstrous arachnid shape silhouetted against the bright outside sky, with a bulbous 'body' and numerous appendages folded up beneath. It obviously could not fit through the smaller entrance so it hung there, seemingly stymied. Without warning, the front of it exploded with greenish light.

Neil hunkered down into his seat. "Oh, shit!" The fans of light swept across the rubble in random patterns, and inside her armor Broderick began to sweat. _They're scanning. C'mon, leave already, dammit! There's nobody home! _She clenched a fist…they were caught beneath a pile of junk, their cloaking system was dead and they had no offensive capabilities to amount to anything. If they were spotted, well then, she figured she'd have to get out and throw rocks. But even as she entertained this irrational thought, all but one of the spotlights shut off; this last was focused on a spot within spitting distance of the Black Phantom's nose. There was a whine of alien hydraulics; one of the slender segmented arms extended, uncomfortably reminding the Deep Eyes of a humanoid phantom tentacle. The arm snaked through the opening and the tip split open to reveal a grasping claw that gently touched the ground, sorting through the debris with almost extraordinary care. It examined an overturned supply trailer before moving closer, manipulators flexing like some monstrous fingers. Then it plucked up a shard of broken hull plating and retracted. The light faded as alien craft withdrew, the ghostly sound of its engines fading.

Neil released the breath he had been holding since the alien ship appeared. Now it was apparent how the scoutship's remains were recovered…that thing must have floated over the crash site and snatched up all the wreckage. "Gee, that's something you don't see everyday." He tried to sound jovial but found he couldn't quite get that old Fleming cheer going right now. He gave up and bent over the scanner, where a signal was moving towards the edge of the screen. "It's almost off the scope…heading back the way we came. Already at five kilometers, gaining altitude fast. Eight…no, ten klicks out and still accelerating. Jesus…that thing is moving…it's gone!" He looked at Gray. "Okay, what's next?"

"Easy. We free the ship and get the hell out of here."

Cheyenne nodded and wiped her sweaty brow. "Damn right, before our friends decide to return for more souvenirs…"

Everyone put a final Herculean effort into it, and with an earsplitting crash and another cloud of dust, the last heavy beam tumbled down to join the rest of the debris. As the echoes faded Lanier crouched down on the wing, running his hand across the leading edge. "That should do it. Other than a few scratches, she's good to go." He carefully lowered himself back down and entered the Black Phantom.

Jane tried to reach a crick in her lower back and gave up. "I can't leave this place soon enough." The interior illumination had waned; the sun had moved behind a nearby ridge outside, and it was even gloomier now. Where the hell was Neil? How typical of him to wander off after the work was done. Her suit light swept the surroundings. Then she spotted him on a slight rise of debris by the other side of the ship. "Godammit…" she grumbled and stalked over. As she climbed the small slope, she noted he was looking at something.

"Neil, the others are boarding. What are you staring at?" she demanded.

"I don't think you wanna' know."

"Try me," she said flatly.

"Alright, then. Suit yourself and take a look." He aimed his suit light and she saw amidst the tangle of more wreckage a body, lying on its back, with two more just beyond it. The armor it wore was identical to those of the Deep Eyes and the helmet, mercifully, was closed. There were no evident wounds, so odds are he was probably a phantom victim. He had gone down fighting; the right hand still gripped the stock of a battered nocturne. She stared, then shrugged. "A trooper? So?"

Neil shot her an impatient glance, sighed, and nodded towards the remains. _"So, _look at his rank, Jane. Whoever he was, he was a captain of the 23rd Regiment. Take a closer look." He knelt and his light picked out more details, and Jane leaned down as well. Sure enough, both shoulders bore the distinctive emblems of a USMF captain. But that wasn't all. She felt her breath catch in her throat. "Oh, my God…" She dropped to one knee, shining her own light closer, and her fingers gently brushed the letters stenciled on the chest plate, letters that formed words.

_Whittaker, Capt. James A._

Jane was silent for a moment, and then looked across at Neil. "Ryan's _father?"_

"Gotta be. The sarge's dad was a captain. How many Whittakers do you know who served in the Cleansing Mission?"

"What's the hold up, you two?" Gray's voice made her start and she hastily got to her feet. He was standing at the bottom of the incline, head tilted up at them. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "The others are waiting." As if on cue, the Black Phantom's engines ignited.

"We, ah, were just leaving, sir." But the impatient expression on the Gray's face told her that this was no time for excuses, and he sounded grumpy. He shook his head and turned back toward the waiting ship. Jane nudged the tech with her foot. "Let's go!" she hissed. He ignored her for another moment, so she snaked a hand beneath his armpit and yanked. He yelped and got to his feet and they both descended the rise.

"Hey, that wasn't necessary." Then, in a lower voice: "You gonna' tell the captain about this?"

"I…don't know. Maybe we should, Neil."

He stepped over a protruding pipe. "But he doesn't need to know. At least not right away." Up ahead, the officer in question had vanished up the ramp.

Jane cast him an odd look. "Come on. You _know_ that they're friends. Ryan will mention it to the captain sooner or later. The captain will come down on you and then I'll be guilty by association."

The Black Phantom was just a couple of paces before them, and the engine noise was making normal discussion difficult. "Don't worry Jane," he said cheerily. "I'll think of a reasonable excuse for both of us. As a matter of fact, it'll be so good that–"

She had one foot on the end of the boarding ramp but stopped so abruptly that he almost fetched up against her backside. "Neil?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up or I'll–"

"Or you'll what? Force me to taste your cooking? _Again?"_

Disgusted, she gave up and entered the ship. Behind her Neil grinned, and not only because he had nettled Jane about her elementary culinary skills; tucked in his equipment pouch was something to present to his friend and sergeant upon their return…the insignia that he had freed from the shoulder plate of Ryan's father.


	15. The Cult of Spirit

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything Square Studios or Microprose (R.I.P.) produced.

**Author's note: **Things take a sinister twist. It's a really brief chapter here, so you'll have to make do while the next one is underway. But, think of it as an appetizer (grin).

**Chapter 15: The Cult of Spirit **

The following day dawned clear and bright but the morning sun did not penetrate the maintenance room's blacked-out windows. Instead, a single overhead light was the sole source of illumination. Set into part of a wall, a huge ventilation fan slowly turned, creating a current that smelled of old grease and warm air. Pipes snaked across the ceiling, some of them dripping water into a shallow puddle. A small wooden table sat patiently nearby, flanked by a pair of chairs. But these details were lost to the woman who was waiting in the room. Her hazel eyes were fixed on the door and the hem of her dark gray robe swayed gently in the fan's lazy draft; the hood lay upon her shoulders, unneeded since her hair was tied back. A loaded Sonnet, its safety off, covered the single entrance. The old steel mill this room was a part of was located in old Houston's former industrial district. Recent reconstruction was centered in the areas immediately surrounding the former Barrier City and so this outlying region was fairly isolated. But someone had restored minimal power…from somewhere within the supposedly abandoned factory came the faint sounds of machinery.

A small noise just outside the room drew her attention. Her grip tightened on the gun but then there came a series of knocks in a code that she recognized. The trigger finger relaxed, but nevertheless, she was still wary as she approached the door and cracked it open. "You're late, Cal."

The man, a USMF lance corporal, entered and secured the door, but not before peering back out into the hall beyond to make sure that he had not been tailed. He gave a small formal bow. "Sorry. There was a patrol hanging around outside the building. I had to wait for them to leave before I could sneak in."

She grunted and motioned him over to the table, safing the gun and stashing it into its shoulder holster inside her robe. "Damn them. If the military's starting to sniff around here, we may have to find another location." She took a chair and he did as well. "So, I take it you have good news. Did things go smoothly?"

"Yes. I hacked in past their firewall with no problem. You'd think that they'd have more safeguards protecting their data." Grinning, he fished a small flash drive from his pocket. "Here are the files that I accessed so far. I could have gotten a little more but didn't want to risk triggering security alerts or network tracers." He handed the pen-shaped device over and leaned towards her, his voice conspiratorially low. "X-COM has a tech level far beyond ours. Weapons, ships with a capacity for interstellar travel…everything is based on alien hardware. And the Elerium–"

"Their primary power source," she agreed. "It seems to be more efficient than our own bio-etheric energy." She powered up the PDA sitting between them and jacked the drive into a port. The screen came to life and she skimmed through the files floating before her. Her lips pursed in satisfaction; she set the machine on standby and removed an envelope from a pocket in the folds of her robe, pushing it across the table. "Payment, as per our agreement."

Cal picked it up, lifted the flap, peeked inside and nodded. Meanwhile, his accomplice got to her feet and paced thoughtfully, hands clasped behind her back. "With the assistance of the Deep Eyes, X-COM is determined to defeat the aliens. The Cult of Spirit cannot allow this. We have already lost some of our astral brothers when their scoutship was attacked, so we must redouble our efforts to reach them and warn them of the danger. This has been ordained by the Founder."

The corporal's eyes opened wide, showing white all around his dark blue irises. "You…you have spoken with him? It's been almost two years–"

"We were promised the creation of a New Eden after God's angels purged the earth of all sin, but they were eliminated at the very Gates of Heaven before they could complete their task. After such a grave loss, the Founder did indeed go into hiding. However, with the appearance of our new visitors, we may again have a chance to rightfully inherit this world. And this time, without interference from those meddling fools in the Bioetherics Division."

Now her scowl was replaced by a zealot's smile that bordered on the edge of madness. "The Founder has told me that God has been merciful and is giving us another chance. We can still carry out His will." Now she moved to stand behind her empty chair. "The information you've provided is invaluable. I will contact you when your services are required again. In the meantime do exercise more caution." The smile disappeared and her eyes went stern as she measured him with a stern gaze. "We can ill afford any more blunders."

Cal swallowed. He knew that she meant his failure to gain access to the Black Phantom. "There will be no more such mistakes, I assure you."

"For your sake let's pray not. Dismissed."

The corporal got to his feet and bowed again, striding to the door and placing an ear against it to listen for a long moment. Satisfied that it was safe, he unlocked it and slipped from the room without another glance back and the door closed and locked behind him.

She watched him go, then sat again and brought the PDA up from standby. Standard video transmissions were apt to be detected even out here, so she selected a heavily encrypted audio-only channel. The small but powerful transmitter's signal easily penetrated the concrete walls, locating a deceptively ordinary comm satellite overhead. The data was decoded, processed and rescrambled, and the resultant feed beamed down to a location somewhere in the southwestern United States. The next moment a small indicator light went from yellow to green, signifying a secure link and a man's voice issued from the speaker. It was articulate, urbane even, but contained, however slight, an undercurrent of malevolence. "Report."

Her brow grew damp despite air's coolness. "I have obtained information from the corporal, sir. The aliens have so far remained undetected. It also pleases me to inform you that both the USMF and X-COM are experiencing…_difficulty_ locating them." Smugness had sneaked into her last sentence, but now she paused. "But, I must ask…if they are having trouble finding them, how are we going to–?"

"_They_ will find _us_, and in good time. I would never lead my followers astray. Or have you forgotten that I have held palaver with God Himself?"

"I have not forgotten, sir."

There was a weighty pause before the voice replied. "Your naiveté is forgiven…this time. Do not allow it to happen again."

"Understood." Now she was the one who was being warned. She quickly changed the subject. "I am transmitting the data on this channel. Prepare to receive." Another control was touched and upon the screen an empty bar appeared, quickly filling as her PDA transmitted in quick-burst mode. This took less than twenty seconds.

There was a sound of contemplation. "Fascinating. I must study these files."

"Sir?"

"X-COM poses a grave threat to our work–" His voice trailed off for a moment. "I would suggest that you return to your regular duties before any suspicion is aroused."

"Yes, sir."

"May God's will be done." A slight burst of static and he was gone.

But she still remained seated, absently rubbing the nape of her neck at the base of her skull. There was a discrete tattoo there, hidden just above her hairline. It was a simple design, really–a small circle containing a cross, like the fine hairs of a spotting scope–the ancient symbol for earth, a mark that all cultists bore, and chosen by a sect that earnestly believed the Gaia of earth and the Phantom Gaia were destined to unite. Why the scientific community had viewed this as some sort of doomsday had puzzled every cultist, and hence this had been the primary reason behind the enmity between the Cult of Spirit and both the USMF and the Bioetherics Division–in their efforts to destroy the Phantoms, both organizations were perceived as being opposed to the will of God the Creator.

_One last thing. _She switched to another coded frequency, an antiquated command channel that was rarely used these days. The comm light glowed again, and although no voice came from the speaker she knew that the other party was there. She spoke, updating her mysterious listener on all she so far knew, and sent him a copy of the data files as well. Once this was complete she removed the drive and gave its two-piece housing a half twist, destroying the intricate circuitry, and she set it down on the floor by her foot as its self-destruct sequence commenced. The next minute the casing and its contents were nothing but a small pile of glowing carbon on the concrete floor. As she stared at the drive's ashy remains her hand stole inside her robe and touched her Sonnet, as if drawing comfort from it. She wondered just how deep in this game she had gotten herself.

It could be so very difficult to play three sides at once.

Not really that far away, the recipient of the second transmission sat before a conventional non-holographic flatscreen. He studied the complex schematics and digital snapshots of the Black Phantom and the Super Avenger; perused with detached interest the technical notes regarding the theoretical workings behind X-COM's powerful plasma-based energy weaponry; scanned the commentary about the aliens (including an autopsy on what remained of the Sectoid–namely its head) and viewed thumbnail images of the Black Ops. Finally, he read Dr. Ross's observations on the Elerium-115.

Not too long ago he would have easily dismissed such things as flights of fancy. But now, seeing and hearing such concrete evidence, there was no doubt as to the validity of it all. It boiled down to a simple bottom line, really…the arrival of both the new aliens and the humans here was clearly unplanned. The X-COM captain was determined to root out her foes and defeat them, utterly. Well, at least her dedication was admirable. And General Tobias's cover story–stating that the Black Ops was a test unit for future replacement of the Deep Eyes–was typical of his thinking outside the box. At least his contact in Houston had managed to keep herself out of trouble. Her luck could run out at anytime, but she knew the danger.

Grunting, he turned back to the computer and typed a brief reply, keeping it short and to the point: _Continue covert surveillance. Expect following update next week at oh-nine-hundred sharp. _

He scratched his neatly trimmed beard and decided that this communiqué was enough. He send the message, shut down the computer and headed outside to stand on the back porch, carefully setting his whiskey glass on the wooden railing. He contemplated the little valley his private house was tucked away in. But the green slopes, the blue sky above them and the faint sounds of nature didn't impress him because his mind was awhirl with thoughts. He took another sip of his drink and smiled a bit.

There was much to do before the day grew old.


	16. Another Bug Hunt

**Author's note:** Good God. This must have taken the longest time for me to write. I actually completed it not long ago, and then scrapped almost all of it…for some reason it just didn't seem to flow right. It still quite doesn't (at least to me), but I've kept you all waiting long enough. I hope you like this one.

**Disclaimer:** All FF:TSW characters belong to Square. Damn shame they've been condemned to limbo…

**Chapter 16: Another Bug Hunt**

"Form A2, lock 3 go, _go,_ _GO!" _

"Incoming fire, mark 80!"

"No, _there_, to your right!"

A stream of plasma flickered past Broderick's head, and she snarled a curse but she did not flinch. More fire racketed nearby and then Harper reported, sounding slightly giddy. "Bug down!"

Not too far away, Gray ignored the battle chatter and concentrated on his own situation, which was not going all that well at the moment. Sweat made his armor's bodysuit lining stick to his skin and he heard Jane's voice over his comlink. "Captain, this way! We'll cover you!"

He looked to his left and saw the blue glow of a pair of optical sensors maybe twenty meters or so away, but the rain made it difficult to judge. It was the corporal, her plasma rifle pointed in his general direction. Just moments ago Gray had provided a distraction, holding the alien at bay with sporadic fire while the others took refuge. But being the hero of the moment had separated him from the others and the wonder of seeing a UFO up close and personal was rapidly squashed under the understandable priority of self-preservation. As if this wasn't enough, his assailant was armed with an auto cannon. Its rotating barrels spit out a nearly constant stream of lethal plasma bolts, gatling-gun style. It was a very nasty weapon, but fortunately this particular Muton was lousy in the accuracy department.

The utility vehicle the captain was hiding behind rocked on its wheels as more plasma fire splashed against its far side and he spat an oath. At first, fighting a corporeal enemy seemed odd, but this foe was heavily armed and their agenda was clearly to eliminate the humans. Mutons had proved to be a tough bunch… they couldn't walk through walls or steal spirits, but their thick green 'skin'–some type of organic armor–made them a pain in the ass to take down. The first one had almost contemptuously shrugged off the heavy laser blasts from Gray's Nocturne. Only several plasma rounds from Martin had brought it down.

He tried to gauge the distance to safety; it wasn't that far but under fire it might as well have been a city block. More shots sounded–the corporal had forced the Muton to cease fire, if only temporarily. Without further hesitation Gray darted from his cover, trying not to slip on the muddy ground.

A dull roar erupted behind him as the alien opened fire again and its shots found the volatile fuel cells. The vehicle's back end lifted a couple of meters off the ground on a squat fireball and crashed back down, half of it consumed in flames. An invisible hand shoved Gray forward, making him stumble but he managed to stay upright. Plasma fire sounded again and the wet earth blew into small steaming clods, but friendly fire replied from ahead. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the small building where Jane, Martin and Neil anxiously awaited. More emerald teeth chewed a half-moon out of the edge of the wall and scattered chunks of formed concrete everywhere.

Jane growled something unintelligible and snapped off some more shots, letting her arms absorb the recoil in her typically efficient fashion. Then she ducked back around the corner. "That was cutting it a bit too close for comfort, captain."

"Is that statement even applicable?" Neil rejoined, grinning, then squawked in protest as Jane shoved past him to let her captain take her place. Gray peered cautiously around the corner and spotted the hulking shape lurking over by the hydroponics system. His helmet's internal display suddenly flashed a warning icon. The target was moving again, no doubt trying to obtain a better firing position. Switching from single shot to auto fire, he sighted carefully and took up the trigger slack and his heavy plasma rifle bucked as it spat out a trio of brilliant green bolts. The first round missed and lanced past the creature's left shoulder but before the alien could bring its cumbersome weapon to bear Gray's second and third shots center-punched its stomach, vaporizing most of its innards and blowing the rest out of its back in a steaming gout. Disemboweled, the massive alien staggered and collapsed onto its face with a heavy smack, its finger convulsing on the trigger and blasting a crater out of the ground.

A figure clad in black power armor appeared beside Gray and nodded approvingly. "Now that," Martin said approvingly, "was one of the sweetest shots I've seen in awhile. Nice shot, sir."

"Thanks," Gray said dryly, checking his ammo count–good, the Elerium clip was still half full. He had filched the weapon another dead alien earlier. It was a bulkier than his Nocturne was but notably more powerful. Some hasty hands-on training had quickly taught him the necessary basics (and did it pack a kick!), and its effectiveness convinced the other Deep Eyes to quickly procure their own at the first opportunity.

Jane swept her gaze across the vista. "Who's next?" She was on an adrenaline high and her grip alternatively clenched and relaxed on her rifle. Gray couldn't help but notice that she was more serious than usual, and it didn't take a genius to see that she had a grudge against the aliens.

Silence now descended but this was not necessarily a good sign. Beneath the rainy afternoon sky, the UFO–Lanier speculated that it was a small harvester–was jammed in the side of the agricultural dome, steam rising from random blast marks on its flattened, slightly triangular hull. It had been almost three hours since the alert had come in–a farming facility near the Texas/New Mexico border was under attack by unknown forces, and all communication had abruptly been lost after the first frantic sentences. And the aliens had grown a little more cunning this time; a summer thunderstorm was brewing over the plains and they had made their assault smack in the middle of it.

The Black Phantom's engines were already hot while everyone was still tugging on their armor, and they were airborne almost before the ship's boarding ramp had shut. Cheyenne had ordered Lanier to damn near fly the ship apart…she wanted to arrive before the aliens could lift off. However, the aliens detected their approach and indeed attempted to escape but some precision shooting put paid to that idea. Its drives disabled, the UFO side-slipped out of the sky and crashed into a hydroponics building, ending up looking like a plate stuck in the side of a giant geodesic egg. Both squads rapidly deployed and Lanier dusted off and remained on station as per Broderick's orders. Using any available cover, Gray's group moved to cover the ship's doorway–its only exit–while Cheyenne's team assumed up a flanking position. Just in time, too, for the doorway snapped open and several plasma bolts shrieked out of the dark rectangle, and in less than twenty seconds the battle was joined.

When the first alien was finally spotted everyone was relieved that they weren't facing a telepathic enemy like more Sectoids or, worse, Ethereals, especially in light of the fact that the Deep Eye's modified helmets were not yet ready. Relief was short-lived, however, when it was discovered that X-COM's personal cloaking devices were ineffectual; the aliens could somehow spot any concealed agents. The shootout had dragged on but after both squads pressed their attack eight Mutons lay dead.

"You guys have anything else on your scanners?" Gray asked and almost immediately three "negatives" came back. Satisfied, he was just about to contact Broderick when Atwood yelled, "Hey, there's another one!" There was a lengthy burst of plasma fire and out of sight something toppled with a crash. Eri chided him with a typical remark.

"Ty, you really shouldn't hose around your ammo. It's like premature ejaculation."

"So? I got 'im. And anyway, that's not what you said the other night."

Beneath her helmet Jane's jaw dropped and she shot a look at Neil. The tech gave a sheepish "don't-blame-me" shrug.

Broderick broke in. "Harper, zip it. Atwood, good shooting but watch your fire. Lanier, anything?"

"Negative captain." He was flying a holding pattern just below the cloud layer, circling the battle area's perimeter. His task was threefold–to keep watch for any more incoming hostiles, lend air support if needed, and to extract his teammates should things get ugly.

"Did they get off a distress call?" Gray inquired.

"No, sir, not since they crashed. The primary target is still silent."

"Captain Edwards made a nice kill. Maybe we should recruit him," Hughes cracked.

"How about those civilians, sergeant?" Cheyenne asked.

"A few frazzled nerves, but they're safe, captain." Earlier, before the fight got heavy, Ryan had rounded up the twenty remaining facility workers and herded them out of the fire zone and into shelter, where he kept watch over them. Now he peered out of a second story window but saw nothing new. Unfortunately, not everyone had been lucky…two people didn't make it, having been cut down by alien fire before help arrived. "Sounds like I missed a party."

Broderick was using the thick trunk of a recently transplanted tree for cover now, and Eri and Tyler did likewise. The black armor they wore almost merged with the shadows of the low branches, their presence betrayed only by the red glow of their faceshields. She returned her attention to her scanner, adjusting it and checking for Elerium signatures. What she finally got made her smile a little. The ship's power plant was still active but so was the alien's communication damping field…there was still no way to give Houston HQ an update, at least not right now. She looked at the downed UFO again…she wouldn't be surprised if a straggler or two were still lurking about. The aliens had no qualms about scuttling their ship to keep the technology out of human hands.

Eri's alertness suddenly kicked up a notch. "Captain, I got something," she reported in a low, even voice.

"Position?"

"In the ship."

"Confirmed," Tyler added. "Reading a pair of contacts just inside the door."

Broderick jabbed a button on her gauntlet and reconfigured her own scanner to penetrate the hull. The tiny HUD inside her helmet cleared and there they were, two indistinct shapes on the other side of the UFO's main entrance. Even as she watched one of the white blobs shifted slightly._ Waiting for a sucker to step through that doorway, aren't you? _

"We still have a couple of bugs to flush out, people," she announced, retreating with Atwood and Harper in tow as the rain finally began to let up. "Captain Edwards, there's a transmission tower about sixty meters or so to the northwest. We'll rendezvous there."

"I see it. We're on our way now."

A few minutes later both groups met up, sheltering beneath an overhang from the still-sporadic rain. "Can we be sure that they're the last ones?" Jane queried.

"As far as I can tell, yes. Nothing else showed on our sweep, but this mission isn't complete until we bag those two holdouts." Broderick glanced up. "It's dragged on long enough, and Lanier can't keep hanging about up there all day."

Gray gazed out at the downed ship. "There must be some way to lure them out. Maybe we could enter another way?"

"Possible. But we didn't detect any other exits."

"So, are we charging or retreating?"

"Real funny, Harper. Hughes, if we covered you, could you approach from the side, possibly hack it and get it open?"

The X-COM tech activated his optics and zoomed in, but a moment later shook his head. "No can do, captain. There are no ports or external mechanisms I can access." He let a grin into his voice. "But maybe you can order Harper to slip a note under the door."

"Very funny," she said, a little crossly, and shoved her faceshield open. She exhaled and squinted at the UFO, thinking a moment. "Captain Edwards, what about the Deep Eyes? You have any grenades or explosives?"

Gray had also opened his helmet but his expression was not promising. "Our bio-etheric weaponry was developed against non-corporeal Phantoms. Since standard arms had no effect, I'm afraid that's a 'No'".

She stared at him and then shook her head. The auto-cannon lay within tempting distance but she visualized the door opening and a spray of plasma bolts catching someone out in the open. Mutons might be grunts but they weren't that stupid–hell, they were probably watching even now. And there was no guarantee that the abandoned weapon could punch through that armored door. What she needed was some heavy firepower. Abruptly, she smacked her palm against the side of her helmet and chuckled. "I'm so damn stupid!"

"Captain? You okay?"

Cheyenne flashed a Cheshire cat grin at Tyler. "Oh yeah, never better. Let's all find some cover." The others exchanged quizzical looks but very soon everyone hunkered behind a low wall. Broderick lagged behind, speaking into her mike. "Lanier, come in."

He answered without delay. "Right here, captain."

"You still have some rounds left in that bird?"

"Ayuh sure do. What's up?"

Her emerald eyes positively gleamed. "I need you to do a little Avon calling for me..."

A black shape dropped out of the sky like a large bird of prey, slowing to hover before the downed alien craft. The pilot powered up his forward guns and held the ship steady until his targeting system could obtain a lock. It took a few seconds and then the UFO's doorway was framed in his gunsight. A tone sounded and he opened up a general channel. "You guys ready for some fireworks?"

"Go for it," Cheyenne said, grinning hugely.

His finger tightened on the trigger. Then he eased up the pressure. "Scratch that."

Gray glanced at the other captain. "What? What's wrong?"

"Our friends got tired of waiting and they're giving me a warm welcome. Small arms fire."

Everyone looked and saw green plasma bolts ricocheting from the Black Phantom's underside. The ship backed away a little but the two Mutons followed and continued to fire.

"Look at it this way, at least he got them to answer the door."

"Brilliant observation, Neil. You get a gold star."

"No, but seriously, Jane, one of those guys might have another auto-cannon gizmo thing. That would be bad."

Cheyenne's lips tightened. "You're right. Matt, take those guys out, now!"

His reply contained just a hint of eagerness. "You got it, captain. Fire in the hole." A pair of amber bolts shrieked from the nose cannon and a small cloud of dirt and debris erupted, hiding most of the scene. As the smoke cleared, bits of earth and other debris falling around a small crater, everybody could see that of the two aliens there was absolutely no sign. The X-COM ship yawed slightly and those watching heard a small exclamation of surprise. "Impolite to forget to close the door behind them. My scanners are clear, no further hostiles in the area. Oh, and the damping field is down. I'm putting her down now."

"Huh. Well." Tyler tugged off his helmet and swiped at his sweaty forehead. His brown hair was ruffled, sticking up in unruly tousles. Overhead, the storm had at last broken and now the afternoon sun was beginning to break through the clouds in random spots. Eri looked at him. "Well, what?" Her blue-green eyes were scrutinizing him from her open helmet.

"We just bagged an intact UFO, _that's_ what. Complete with more Elerium and functional hardware for Marty to tinker with." He jerked a thumb at his captain. "The Boss should be happy."

"Without blowing the crap out of it like we normally do? Damn right I'm happy," Cheyenne said good-naturedly, relaxing a little. She could feel the tension draining from her body, and she was already looking forward to a nice hot shower when they returned. "Now, we just have to figure out how to get this thing back to base. Your scientists are going to have a field day with their new toy, Captain Edwards."

"Without a doubt." Gray safed his rifle and unlatched his helmet but left his mike active. "Edwards to Ops, come in. Yes, the mission is complete. We have twenty, repeat two-oh civilians and need medical evac. Requesting heavy airlift for retrieval operations and security measures for the crash site. Please confirm, over." He listened to the reply and signed off, then contacted Ryan. "Sergeant, home on my signal and bring in those civilians. It's been a long day."

General Tobias scanned the brief communiqué again, his slightly narrowed gray-green eyes ticking back and forth over the small, precise lines of text. Then he put the printed copy down and leaned back in his plush chair. "Major, the latest update, if you would?"

Schaeffer, the only other person in the general's office, consulted the holographic screen of her personal data-pad. "The Deep Eyes and the Black Ops returned fifteen minutes ago. They have brought back two of the alien corpses–"Mutons"–I believe they're called. Research has the bodies now, along with some alien hardware. The remainder of the salvage is presently being disassembled at the crash site and loaded aboard the cargo transport. The deck officer reports that hanger 21-B is being prepped for storing the alien craft, and should be ready by the time the transport arrives."

He nodded. "Which should be in–?"

"ETA is oh-seventeen-hundred hours. Both captains are preparing their reports as per standard procedure." She glanced at the ornate clock sitting on the shelf. "Actually, they should be about done by now."

"Good. Ensure that those write-ups are delivered to me. Where are the rescued workers now?"

"Medical, sir."

"See to it that they're quarantined immediately after treatment. Make up any reason as long as it sounds legitimate."

Schaeffer raise a questioning eyebrow. "Sir?"

Tobias stood and clasped his long-fingered hands behind his back. The short-cut bristles of his salt-and-pepper hair glistened under the ceiling lights and the small winged medal affixed to the stiff collar of his formal outfit glinted as he slowly paced_. Two civilian casualties._ _Damn._ "It's for their own safety, at least in the meantime. We're still getting back on our feet after the Phantom War. What would the populace say if they discovered we were under attack by yet another enemy, major? How would the media react?"

She pursed her lips, tucking her deactivated data-pad into a uniform pocket. "Gauging from typical news hound reaction over the years, they would no doubt cast us in a somewhat disagreeable light." She crossed her legs and plucked at a crease in her dark blue slacks. "However, if I may speak frankly, it may only be a matter of time before info is leaked to the press, regardless of how many safeguards we have in place."

"Point taken, major." He favored her with a level gaze. "I want to meet with Captain Broderick and find out how, in her world, X-COM was able to operate with such covertness. We must exercise caution and gain the upper hand on the situation. We can't afford panic among the general public right now. That happens, and it's Katy bar the door and Homer run for home. In the meantime, the Council wants answers, and there have also been some rumblings among the military branch heads as well."

He made a gesture towards the door. "Walk with me to the lab, major. I wish to see what prizes are waiting."

And as the two military officers made their way to the research building, the spirit of the earth stirred again and sparked another dream into Aki's sub-consciousness.


	17. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

**Author's Note:** Bleh. Will I ever finish this goddamn thing?

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW characters are (were?) property of Square Pictures. X-COM was originally registered under Microprose before they sold out to Hasbro. Oh, the horror…

**Chapter 17: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back**

Gray hooked his thumbs in his pockets. "So, that's it?"

"Well, seeing that we're in an R&D facility, Captain, I'd say you're right." Neil stepped closer and bent a little, hands on his knees. "Love the new and improved expression. Looks mean…kinda' like Jane on a good day." His face lit with a daffy grin but he discreetly stayed at minimum safe distance in case the corporal decided to put her kicking foot into gear. Proudfoot, though, merely favored him with a particularly ill-natured look and said nothing.

Matt and Martin both chuckled. They had requested a meeting with the Deep Eyes here in the workshop, which was in the same building as the lab but on the opposite end. On the test bench before them all, amidst scattered various tools and hardware and illuminated by an overhead work light, was the revamped helmet. At Lanier's prompting Gray picked it up. The optical sensors were no longer round but narrowed triangles, like the eye ports of an old medieval helmet, and they lent a more aggressive appearance. The general exterior shape was about the same as the original Nightmare model but it felt a little heavier, despite the fact that it still used titanium in most of its construction. He turned it over and peered inside. Except for slightly different padding and a couple of extra flat wiring ribbons, it didn't look all that different. Then he noticed something near the back, just above where the nape of the neck would be, and jabbed a finger at it. "What's this?"

Dr. Rudolph Zander, head of the USMF's R&D department, moved to stand beside Gray. He was a stocky middle-aged man with quick dark blue eyes and a scalp showing through thinning brown hair. "That's the external power connection. The new design has higher energy requirements, but even so the psi-defense is good for about six hours of continual operation with a standard cell. Laura, could you get me a charged ovo pack, please?" As his assistant researcher went over to a cabinet, he continued on. "That new metal you retrieved from the first crash site was primarily used for the new circuitry and the neural net beneath the inner liner–Mr. Hughes and Mr. Lanier were invaluable in assisting us in working with the alien alloy. We also studied an X-COM helmet and upgraded the operational scanning parameters based on the specs. The old Phantom-based technology had difficulty with corporeal recognition even after we tried working with new code for the spiritual imaging. The motion detectors can now more easily discern hostiles, even through solid walls. Each helmet is attuned to its user's brainwave patterns and so will only work for that person. This one is yours, Captain. Feel free to go ahead and give it a try."

Gray grasped the edges of the lower half and slipped it on, locking the two hinged sidepieces on either side of the mouthpiece. Zander plugged in the ovo pack's power umbilical and secured its end with a half-twist. The eye ports flickered on and glimmered steadily with their usual blue glow and the internal HUD came on-line. His attention was drawn to a new icon in the top middle of his forward view. Even though it was dimmed out he could see that it resembled the bug-eyed, pointy-chin face of a Sectoid. His voice was wry through the external speaker. "Cute."

"Here, allow me, Captain." Zander flipped open a port on the helmet's left side and jacked in a small test lead, connected the other end to a PDA, and manipulated a few controls. "Hughes and I wrote a simple test program to simulate a psionic attack. Just a second…okay, what do you see?"

On the internal display, the icon suddenly flashed red and a small indicator pointed to the left. Gray instinctively started to turn in that direction before he remembered where he was. He caught himself and remained still. A display appeared beneath the icon, giving the range info and describing the exact nature of the threat–in this case a Sectoid, a little over thirty meters away and slowly closing. There was a tingle that made every hair on his head stand up and his earpiece chirped, signifying that the telepathic attack had successfully been blocked. The sensation stopped but then the next second the pointer moved around behind him and stopped, indicating that an Ethereal was lurking off his five o'clock at twenty meters. Another electrical tingle–a little stronger this time–as again the helmet's psi defenses thwarted the simulated mind control. Then the sensation disappeared altogether as Zander ended the test program and disconnected his PDA. Gray touched the release latch and the helmet split open. He tugged it off, looking it thoughtfully as placed it back on the workbench.

Martin was beaming like a proud father. "When the on-board computer detects a psionic attack it activates and produces an inverse form of the alien's telepathic wave, canceling it out. The more powerful the attack, the stronger the telepathic shield. The test was only a simulation, but a genuine psionic wave is comprised of much more complex elements. However, based on data from our UFOpedia, the system can compensate for any variances."

"How'd you pull that off?" Neil couldn't keep the astonishment off his face. "These things weren't exactly known for being the latest and greatest to start with, ya' know."

The Black Ops tech grinned. "Child's play. I built a simple AI that can alter the shielding to match the threat level, to a degree…in other words, it knows the difference between, say, a Sectoid foot soldier and an Ethereal Leader, developed from profiles I programmed into it."

Her teammates exclaimed their excitement but Jane frowned. Having already had a bad taste of alien telepathic power, she was none too thrilled to hear that there could be an even stronger enemy. "So there's something worse out there than the Sectoids that we haven't seen yet. Terrific."

X-COM's senior pilot turned a cool brown gaze on her. "Ethereals tend to be favored for upper ranks. I'm not dismissing the very real possibility that the mothership carries an Ethereal commander and a pair of sub-commanders as well. That would be standard alien command staffing." Hearing him explain this, Jane grit her teeth and muttered something unpleasant but she was mildly surprised to see Martin tip her a quick wink. "Don't sweat it, corporal. I'm not quite done yet. After some tweaking the helmet should be able to block even simultaneous attacks."

"When will the others be ready?" Ryan asked. "They should all be done no later than oh nine-hundred tomorrow. In fact, yours is almost complete, sergeant." Dr. Zander began to gather up his equipment.

"We'll let you get back to work, then. Our thanks to your engineering team, doctor, and to Matt and Martin, too," Gray said. "But we'll still have to be careful out there. It's not like we're invisible or–"

"What about a personal cloaking device to play with?" Martin mused, eyes becoming distant. Then he looked at the helmet as if seeing it for the first time. "Or maybe a smart targeting system, tied in with active-tracking heavy plasma rifles? Hmm." He abruptly turned to Zander, holding up a finger as if hailing a cab. "Excuse me, doctor? I just had another idea…"

Matt laughed. "You got him started again, captain. By the way, both General Tobias and Major Schaeffer stopped by not a half hour ago, and were pleased with the progress. It looks like we have the blessings of the top brass"

"Anything that makes the general happy can't hurt. By the way, do you have any idea where they went afterwards?"

"If I do recall correctly, they headed off to that where they're bringing in the last bits and pieces of that alien harvester." He brightened and smiled a little too much. "Speaking of which, I think that Dr. Sid is busy carving up a Muton right about now…"

XXX

All of her latest data entries finally saved, Aki took advantage of the brief peace and quiet and reclined in the surprisingly restful seat. The office desk lamp created a warm pool of yellowish radiance. Her co-workers already gone, she had only meant to take a short catnap before locking up and heading home. But her little siesta had deepened into a slumber, and now an uneasy expression flitted across her face.

_If she wasn't in hell, then this was certainly something very close to it indeed._

In the near distance was the skyline of an unidentifiable city. It was difficult to tell if it was human or otherwise; heat waves distorted the towering shapes into hazy mirages and the tops of every building wore regal crowns of fire. Charred, blackened shapes poked up through the dry ground. Smoke and ash filled the leaden sky as the winds of the firestorm whipped everything into a frenzy, yet the expected heat was strangely nonexistent. In the background was a sound like the choral humming from myriad unseen throats, all uttering the same note in perfect unison. However, it was dark and sinister.

_There was no dead general present this time, but Aki sensed something else. She turned to her left and gasped…the graceful figure of Gaia was hovering there before her, but its peaceful blue glow becoming consumed and transformed, swallowed by an angry seething amber that the dreamer immediately recognized as that of Elerium. The being writhed in agony and its voice–racked with pain yet still melodious–echoed in the scientist's mind even after she had snapped awake._ _Our life force is being drained…used…we are growing weak. Use your gift to save us. You know what must be done... _

Aki sat at the desk and pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to retain the details before the images slipped away. Unfortunately, her dream recorder had been long since dismantled and placed in storage, but there were other methods. She tugged open a desk drawer, took out a pen and notepad and began to write:

_More cryptic visions, a sense of fear and that coincides with my growing sense of dread. And this 'gift'…just what is it? What did Gaia mean?_

She paused and then continued, her pen softly scratching on the paper's surface in the quiet silence of the room.

_This second dream may confirm my suspicion. Exactly how the aliens are involved in all of this I can't explain, but it isn't at all difficult to deduce that they are responsible. The spirit of the earth is in grave danger and there's no spirit wave to counteract the peril this time around. The invaders must be found and stopped–before it's too late for all of us._

She remembered the test with the first Elerium sample. If the aliens had indeed found a way to gain access to Gaia, the earth's spiritual energy could become tainted, and if that happened… Her fingers tightened on her pen as the significance hit her hard. The next moment she was tapping on her keyboard, bringing up Dr. Sid's schedule. The display scrolled up the monitor and stopped with a few lines highlighted: he was over in the restricted access area. Hastily, she switched off the console and hurried out to find him, not making any effort to try and conceal her agitation.

XXX

The dead Muton lying in the quarantine chamber was the slightly larger of the two specimens brought in. Measuring a little over two and a half meters tall and weighing in at something close to a hefty 150 kilograms, he was a sturdy fellow indeed. The head, with its heavy, slightly protruding lower jaw, was hairless and appeared small in contrast to the thick neck and muscular shoulders. A broad torso narrowed down to a narrow waist but all four limbs were corded with muscle. The creature's eyes were open and dully stared at nothing. Its wide lipless mouth was slack enough to disclose a set of teeth that, although smaller than expected for a being of this stature, were all alarmingly pointed. It had been stripped of its thin yet strangely tough green jumpsuit and every square centimeter of its skin, from its flat-nosed face and thick three-fingered hands all the way down to its large bare feet was a dull shade of purple. The corpse lay open from brisket to groin; the sternum and attached ribs had been cut through and set aside earlier, while the major internal organs–heart, lungs, and something that certainly looked like a liver–occupied sealed specimen containers to await examination. Displayed on the far wall outside the chamber were several holographic scans of the alien's skeleton taken from various angles. Above the body, manipulators and various other surgical tools hung suspended from a small ceiling turret, and now, from a slender metal cylinder, the thin blue beam of the laser scalpel winked on and a wisp of steam puffed up as it cut an incision in a deeper layer of tissue. The device shut off, moving away and the fingerlike manipulators descended, grasping the cauterized edges and peeling them aside, revealing the interior of the lower abdomen.

Standing in the adjacent observation room, the Deep Eyes looked on. They had come straight from the workshop, curiosity prompting three of the four to attend but the forth person–Neil, of course–would have much preferred to skip the crash course in alien anatomy. He had followed Gray's orders, though, and presently his face was a shade paler than usual and bore an ill-disguised grimace. Tyler and Eri had joined them along the way and relayed that their own captain had taken Lanier's advice and was relaxing back in her quarters. Now everyone watched as Sid manipulated the holographic sphere that in turn controlled the remote waldos within the autopsy chamber. Two assistants jotted down his comments as he nudged aside some shiny gray coils of intestine, severed some threadlike wires from one of the three metallic implants revealed there, carefully transferred the small sphere to another specimen container and sealed it. Noticing that he had an audience he placed the operating station on standby, told his assistants to take a break and excused himself, entering the small gallery.

"What have we got?" Gray asked, ignoring Neil's squeamish fidgeting. Sid rubbed his beard. "The Muton's physiology is certainly impressive. The musculature is highly developed and the digestive system is indicative of a carnivorous diet, but the reproductive organs appear to have been surgically removed. This holds true for both specimens received."

Neil blanched but Jane gave a tight humorless smile.

"Half of the cardiovascular system doesn't even appear organic…the heart, in fact, looks mostly mechanical. There are several artificial implants located throughout the body, possibly for improved response times–"

"Yeah, Mutons usually have some sort of cybernetic enhancement," Atwood interrupted, and then shrugged. "Dunno' exactly how they work, though."

"Those things brushed off the shots from our Pulsar rifles far too easily. There's got to be a reason for that," Jane said, keeping her eyes riveted on the hulking alien soldier.

"The skin is an epidermal layer that's actually grafted to the body, almost like some kind of organic armor. It shows signs of genetic altering, and it's quite tough. It took three passes with the laser scalpel set at maximum just to cut through." A screen on one wall came to life and showed a close-up of the Muton's thuggish face. The thin skin around the left eye had been removed, revealing not the ivory sheen of bone but something that more closely resembled dull metal. The eye itself was a dark red orb that glared from of its socket. "Now, the eyes are very interesting."

Eri perked up. "Yeah, what's up with that? How could they detect my active cloak?"

"Maybe it was your body odor–ow!" Tyler squirmed as his arm was twisted behind his back. Dr. Sid cleared his throat. "Ahem. As I was saying, as seems to hold true to other parts of its anatomy, the Muton's eyes are likewise enhanced. See here." The view changed, showing a cross-section of the visual organ itself and those not distracted by the byplay between the two youngest Black Ops members noted that the cornea, iris and a thick lens were quite similar to a human eye. But the anterior chamber contained tiny structures interwoven into a microscopic mesh that lined the entire rear hemisphere of the eye where the retina would normally be. Wires mere microns thick led from this grid and fed back into the optic nerve.

Harper released Atwood's wrist and grunted, looking at the diagram. "Cybernetic eyes. Dammit, I should've known."

"I'll have a better understanding after further study. This all demonstrates a sophisticated level of technology that's far beyond what we have ever seen." The image faded and the screen went dark; the older scientist's own eyes were fairly shining with his zeal. His enthusiasm was a tad surreal considering that there was a gutted alien lying in the next room, strange hardware awaiting inspection locked away elsewhere and a UFO now mostly disassembled in the largest underground staging area of the base.

Any further statement was cut short by a loud exclamation outside the door that lead to the hallway. "Report me, arrest me, whatever. But _not_ before I see Dr. Sid! Either you let me in there or I call up the general. Have I made myself clear?" The familiar voice was raised in irritation and inwardly Gray winced, for he had also been on the receiving end of it, and more than once. The door opened and in came Aki. Behind her, the humiliated guard decided to wait outside while his ears cooled down; his gaze met Gray's for an instant and the captain sent him a sympathetic look before switching his attention to the woman who anxiety was plainly evident. "Aki? What's wrong?"

"It's Gaia. The dreams are starting again. At first I wasn't certain how to interpret the visions, but now there's no doubt." The others closed around her in a loose group. "The earth's spirit–the aliens are somehow utilizing its life energy." Her brown eyes were full of worry and her brow creased with concern. "Gaia has been trying to warn me through my dreams."

"'Dreams?' Eri asked cynically. She clammed up when Aki turned and addressed them, her eyebrows knitting as she began to relate the visions in such a way that the audience could make sense of it. When she finished, Dr. Sid was the first to speak. "Dear God…the earth's spirit could become compromised if enough Elerium contaminates it, very similar to the case with the Phantom Gaia." This 'gift' that you mentioned, what is it?" he inquired gently.

"Ever since we've started working with the Elerium, I've been experiencing a very odd sensation." She tossed a glance and a half smile at Gray. "Nothing life-threatening, though. It almost feels like vertigo. What I think Gaia means, is that I am sensitive to Elerium. It could be some sort of aura or field that the element emits. I'm not sure. Anyway, on the way here I started thinking…the aliens use it as their primary power source, right?"

"Well, yeah, sure," Tyler replied. "But–" "Don't you see? I can utilize this ability to look for the mothership! We may be able to locate it after all!"

Exactly three seconds of silence followed and then was broken as almost everyone began talking at once. Ryan exchanged a glance with his captain and the next moment the brawny sergeant's booming command for quiet put paid to any further commentary. "Okay, Aki." Sid knew her well enough to place his trust in what she said. "What do you have in mind?"

Her brown eyes narrowed as the sharp mind behind them whirled with the start of a plan. "First, we need to notify the Council." Then her resolute gaze encompassed them all. "I want the Black Boa out of mothballs and ready for flight as soon as possible. I have an idea on where to start..."

XXX

Not that far away, a redheaded woman swiped at a steamy bathroom mirror and scrutinized her face. "Hmph," she sniffed and turned, smacking off the light switch on the way out and toweling her hair vigorously in an attempt to dry it. Having just changed into clean sweatpants and a T-shirt, she plopped down on her bed and lay there, allowed the remaining tension to drain from her body. But her eyes kept returning to the laptop sitting over on the desk. Plugged into it was a small memory stick that Major Schaeffer had handed to her right after the teams had returned from the last mission. It contained video footage from the storage facility where both of the X-COM ships had initially been parked. Cheyenne shut her eyes, replaying it in her head. The Black Phantom and the Super Avenger were squarely framed in the security camera's field of view. A timer was running in the screen's lower corner and everything looked fine. The screen flickered with a burst of static and then the peaceful scene returned. An astute observer would have noted that the counter numbers had jumped and there was a mysterious lapse of almost a minute. She caught this glitch the second time around and guessed that was the time the intruder had circumvented the security system and attempted to force their way into the larger ship. When asked, the major stated that they were presently attempting to locate the suspect but it was tough without any substantial leads to go on…and not only that, the general was expecting answers too, and soon. But at least this was a start.

There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" she called out, eyes still closed.

"Sergeant Calhoun reporting, Captain," a woman's voice replied. "Major Schaeffer reports they have just arrested the suspect in the break-in incident. She requests your presence in her office and I am to escort you down."

_Yes! _She quickly sat up, all traces of fatigue quickly forgotten. "Hold on, give me a minute." Exchanging her casual attire for something more presentable, she shoved her still-damp feet into some socks, tugged on her boots and finished securing her hair in a ponytail. She opened the door and there stood a young blonde dressed in standard-issue military uniform; she saluted smartly but she was not alone. The two men accompanying the sergeant quickly swept around her, entering the simple living quarters and before Cheyenne could even question what was going on, rough hands seized her arms. Now the sergeant came forward and the last thing the captain heard was the electrical crackle of a stunner. The amperage ravaged her body and then she knew nothing as the darkness took her.


	18. Heretics

**Author's Note:** Months since the last chapter submission…I hang my head in shame. Damn, did I fall off the horse or what? Sorry. But I have a little surprise at the end of this latest installment, to make up for that.

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW is licensed property of Square Pictures, while X-COM belongs to Microprose (and Hasbrow as well). I'm not getting a red cent out off all of this, but the knowledge that my work of fiction is being enjoyed by fellow authors–and others–is payment enough.

**Chapter 18: Heretics**

On the Cult of Spirit (excerpt from the Houston law enforcement files): 

_A religious group that came into existence shortly after the Leonid meteor impact and the consequent discovery of the Phantoms._ _Its first members came together under the influence of a man known as Toryn the Founder. The story behind this individual ranks as one of the more bizarre ones to be documented in modern times._

_Toryn's true name is Gaal Ferin, a USMF second lieutenant who became infected during an extermination mission against a Phantom nest. Placed in quarantine and given a next to non-existent chance of survival, he somehow managed to beat back the contagion, a feat that doctors find utterly mystifying even to this day. But before a more thorough analysis could be performed he escaped from the treatment center and disappeared into the metropolis of Houston Barrier City._

_Ferin managed to evade all capture attempts and it was during this time that the patient-turned-fugitive began to experience the dreams. As was the case of Dr. Aki Ross, the Phantom particles attempted to communicate with their host. However, he could not take the intensity of the bizarre images and was eventually driven mad. The alien infection eventually weakened and died but the contact left his mind permanently altered; Ferin now believed himself to be God's apostle. Living in the more desolate and shunned areas of the city, he preached to any who would listen, claiming that the Lord was displeased with mankind and had sent His angels–the Phantoms–to cleanse the planet of sin. Only the pure of heart would be saved. Nonbelievers would perish, leaving behind a New Eden for those favored in God's eyes. Ferin took the name of Toryn the Founder and his teachings grew with remarkable speed, particularly among those disturbed by the martial tactics of the military and disillusioned with the slow, tedious progress of the scientists. Those easily swayed eventually found a common focus and the Cult of Spirit was born. _

_Certain acts of sabotage–stolen Phantom research data and attempted vandalism of several barrier generators, among others–seemed to be Cult-inspired. As for the cultists themselves, they generally appear no different than any other citizen, but for one exception. They all have a small tattoo just below the nape of the neck (it is usually concealed by normal clothing). It is the ancient astronomical symbol for earth, and resembles crosshairs within a small circle. Any correlation between this mark and Gaia, the alleged 'spirit of the earth,' is purely coincidental._

_Human sacrifices were performed on a random basis, and as if this was not alarming enough, the fact that cult members willfully participated was even more unsettling. Those selected would leave the city in the dead of night, alone and unarmed, and enter the neighboring wastelands to await a spiritual "release". Of course, this was nothing more than a swift death from the ever present Phantoms. The bodies were usually found several days later, and what the patrols noticed was disturbing…instead of the horror-stricken expressions of the usual Phantom victims, these people appeared serene–it was almost as if they had looked forward to their demise. Official explanations of the suicides ranged from drug use and mental instability to desperation borne of depression. While this aberrant behavior would appear to reduce the Cult's membership, more individuals joined and thus kept the ranks of this secret society at a fairly consistent number._

_After the Phantoms were defeated in December 2065, Cult activity abruptly declined and Toryn has not been seen nor heard from since. Nevertheless, he is still alive and remains hiding underground along with a core group of his most trusted and faithful followers. Not only does he resent the fact that humans interfered with God's plans, but he remains vexed that the man he considered one of his greatest adversaries–General Douglas Hein–had vanished and is currently presumed dead following the end of the Phantom War. Now that another threat menaces the recovering planet, the sect is undergoing a revival and sporadic evidence of cult activity is being reported in Chicago and New York. While the local government is too busy with the reconstruction of our ravaged world to bother chasing down what was generally viewed as a group of eccentric heretics, the Cult of Spirit is quietly growing in the midst of a still-recovering society._

XXX_  
_

"It looks like a big fish."

"No, it looks more like a whale. Why would someone fly something that looks like a fish?"

"Fish, whale, whatever. It's the same thing."

"No, it's not. A fish isn't a mammal. Try reading up on it sometime."

Greenish-blue eyes narrowed. "What'd you say?"

"A proper education can do wonders, you know."

Now she positively bristled. "So? Who _cares?"_

Martin blew out an exasperated breath. "Come on Atwood, stop baiting her. And you, Harper…show some respect for Dr. Ross. She fixed that busted tooth of yours, no?"

Eri gestured dismissively. "For your information, you skirt-chasing geek, I _did _thank her. And on top of that Her Nibs bought my story too. So _there."_ Her hackles lowered and she gave a wide grin as if to prove that all of her teeth were in fact present and accounted for.

The Black Ops tech struggled to keep the incredulous expression off his face. "If you think that the captain fell for that tale about tripping down some stairs and doing a face plant, then I'm the president of Mars. Trust me, she just didn't want to waste time blasting holes in your story. Be grateful you got off with a warning."

"Doc should've wired her mouth shut," Tyler groused under his breath. The next instant he flinched as Eri's outraged oath echoed throughout the huge underground hanger.

Strolling ahead of the bickering X-COM members, Aki caught Jane's gaze and the two women shared a covert grin; Neil wore his best poker face as, behind them, Martin was forced to break up a spat before it started. Ignoring the commotion, she returned her attention to the ship ahead of them, which was parked a dozen levels below the USMF airfield. Setting down a small case containing her diagnostic equipment, she approached a control terminal and powered it on. While she waited for it to boot up she found her eyes being drawn upwards, to the darkened cockpit windows of the _Black Boa. _Pushing the release request through the proper channels on such short notice had been a pain–even for her–but when a certain general's signature had appeared beside hers on the requisition forms her demand had been expedited with alacrity.

Aki felt the curious gazes of her companions on her as she took a few more paces and rested a light hand on a massive front tire that stood almost to her chest. The Gaia research module was still aboard but most of the equipment it contained had long since been removed. This included the most critical piece of hardware for the mission, the bioetheric scanner array. The powerful sensor suite would have to be reinstalled. Once this was done Neil and Martin would be on hand to modify the hardware and software, respectively, recalibrating it to enable scanning for any faint Elerium traces as well as corrupted bioetheric signatures. And once the _Black Boa_ was up in the maintenance hanger she would have to be given the standard post-storage check-over. All of this was going to take time, time which was in precious short supply.

The scientist sighed and brushed some stray hairs out of her face. She already figured that she would probably be burning the midnight oil just to get the _Boa _ready. But it was worth it, for the ship could enter a higher orbit and scan more areas of the globe faster than any satellite presently operating. As she rubbed her brow her mind was already drawing up a plan, and she threw a thought at the craft. _It's_ _been almost two years. Looks like we're going to be saving the world again._ _Are you up to it, old friend? _

"So, what do you think, doc? It's been awhile since you flew the friendly skies, you know." Neil, his hands stuffed into his pockets, was now standing beside her, and Aki had been so immersed in her thoughts that she nearly jumped at his voice. Instead, she nodded. "Yeah, it has. But she'll get the job done…the _Boa_ never let me down."

At that moment, the console chirped and the glow of the reader plate was briefly obstructed when Aki went back and pressed her fingertips against the cool plastic before keying in a certain sequence. The _Boa's_ computer acknowledged the terminal's command and replied with a hiss of hydraulics. The main cargo door swung open and the internal standby lights flickered on, illuminating the bay behind it in a soft glow. Everyone took a step back when a spindly arm swung out and the winch motors hummed, and a moment later the loading platform touched down with a metallic clank.

"Welcome aboard," Aki said, gesturing towards it with a flourish and waiting as the others stepped onto the platform. Retrieving her case, she manipulated a control and they all rose upwards towards the open hatch.

XXX

Elsewhere, Gray and Ryan were standing outside the doors to the Council, waiting for the conference to conclude. General Tobias had been inside for over an hour, presenting hard facts and the latest mission data to the Council and his fellow military staff.

Gray remembered escorting Aki to the general's office earlier in the day. She had requested access to the lower storage hanger where the _Black Boa _resided. Tobias and Schaeffer had listened intently as the scientist laid out her plan in rapid detail and remained silent when she had finished. The general's gaze shifted from the scientist to the major, and then back to Aki, who clenched a hand nervously.

Then a corner of the general's mouth lifted slightly, lightening the room's somber mood. Agreeing with her proposal, he signed the necessary procurement forms and then called an emergency meeting with the council.

"Hey, captain," Ryan said, bringing Gray back to the present, and they both looked down the hallway at the man hurriedly approaching them. It was Matt, and as he drew closer they saw that he appeared a bit agitated, something quite at odds with the cool and collected Black Ops squad member they had come to know.

"Have either of you seen captain Broderick?" Lanier asked, brown eyes darting from face to face.

The other two exchanged puzzled glances. Gray spoke first. "No, not since the debriefing after the last mission. Why?"

"Dammit." Matt ran a hand through his brown hair. "Well, she's not in her quarters. She's not answering her comm, so I thought she might be over here with you. I checked the break room and mess hall, even called over to the lab. I can't find her anywhere–"

At that moment the double doors behind Gray slid open and the general emerged, with the major close behind. Voices raised in arguments could be heard in the huge room beyond.

Gray, Ryan and Matt snapped off automatic salutes. "At ease," Tobias said. "Most of the Council members agree with Dr. Ross's plan on locating the aliens, especially considering all that has happened." He was prepared to go into detail when Matt politely interrupted and explained the latest development. And as he listened his brow furrowed, and the subtle change in his mannerisms was evident. "Captain Broderick submitted her report not long ago–just after Captain Edwards dropped his off, in fact. Anyone departing the base must pass through checkpoints. There is no way she could have left unobserved. When did you last speak with her?"

"Shortly after the last mission. We were in the hanger. She usually sticks around while I run post-flight checks but she said she was tired and going to relax a bit. This isn't like her at all." He rested his chin in a palm, trying to think of several scenarios all at once. "We should begin at her quarters," Schaeffer said crisply. Turning to a nearby hall guard, she spoke a few brisk words. The man quickly saluted and withdrew a net-phone, and the major now addressed Tobias. "Sir? With your permission, we'll get a search underway immediately."

"By all means, major. Keep me posted." His mien was grave as the gravity of the situation became apparent to everyone and his gray eyes grew flinty. "With the mothership still undiscovered and the very real possibility of these alien attacks escalating, we can ill afford to lose any tactical advantage. Do what you must, but find her. And quickly."

XXX

Cheyenne's senses slowly returned but she resisted the temptation to jump to her feet. Instead, she calmly counted backwards to a hundred while she waited out an unsettling feeling of queasiness. She heard a faint humming but paid no real attention to it because her body was telegraphing all sorts of aches and pains. As a final insult the thin mattress she lay upon was lumpy and uncomfortable. She remembered the so-called 'lieutenant' and that pair of goons. _That little bitch!_ _If I ever get my hands on her!_ She grimly thought of just how long a person could remain conscious during some creative interrogation.

Now her eyes slowly cracked open and she sat up gingerly on the edge of the low bed and looked around. Part of the overhead light fixture was burned out but it still afforded a clear–if dimly lit–view of a bare concrete floor. Neither the toilet nor sink looked as if they had been used in months. On one gray wall was a shelf holding a few tattered books; the other three were decorated with faded phrases and words, the echoes of past occupants' existences. A faint mustiness overlaid everything, hinting that this room hadn't been occupied for quite some time.

Her initial scrutiny complete, she noted a faint reddish light that seemed to be indirectly illuminating the room and looking towards the front of the room now saw why. The entrance was blocked top to bottom by shimmering ruby beams, each half the thickness of her little finger, and there was a gap of less than a handbreadth between each one. It was from here that the humming emanated. She swore softly and got to her feet, grimacing as her cramped thigh muscles protested. She cautiously approached the glowing bars and got a slight whiff of ionization. Peering closer at the doorway's edge, she saw that the beams emerged from recessed holes. Disabling even a few of them would be out of the question. There was no heat but common sense dictated it would be unwise to touch them.

_What the hell…?_ Mind running in circles, she stood behind the bars and frowned, eyebrows knitting as her logical self trying to make some sense of this mess. Okay, she was incarcerated, no doubt about it–exactly _why_ she had no idea but she certainly intended to find out.

"Brooding about it won't help, you know."

She started, looking up sharply and noticed that there was another cell almost directly opposite hers, just on the other side of a narrow center passageway. Its containment field was likewise active because it also held a prisoner. Squinting, she could just make out the vague shape standing behind the glowing red lattice. Curiosity got the better of her; she suppressed her frustration and edged so close to the bars she could feel the fine hairs on her bare arms tingle. Her growing puzzlement lent her courage. "Where am I? What's going on here, dammit?" she said.

There was no immediate answer but the shadow shifted a little. Although there were no more than four meters separating them Cheyenne could see him only slightly better in the relative dimness. Then he spoke again, the sardonic reply carried a tinge of lazy amusement, something a bit out of place considering the circumstances. "I had hoped to meet X-COM's captain under more…_favorable_…conditions."

Her green eyes went wide. "How­–?"

"Did I know who you were?" he finished, and clasped his hands behind his back. Since he was standing right behind his cell's barrier, the glow enabled Cheyenne to see him a little clearer now. He was wearing plain civilian clothes but there was something rather militaristic about his ramrod-straight posture. "You might be surprised."

She crossed her arms, trying to appear more confident than she really felt at the moment. "You have me at a disadvantage. Why don't you tell me who _you _are?"

He shrugged. "I can't see the harm in it, although I have no doubt that we're being monitored. By the way, you might want to watch yourself around the pulsonic lasers. They can pack a wallop."

He touched something to one of the beams before him. Cheyenne wondered if he was crazy but then saw that the object was not his finger but merely a cigarette. Its tip ignited and sparks fell to the floor in a fizzling spray. The flare illuminated his face and, for a brief moment, her imagination conjured up the ridiculous image of a vampire. Well, maybe not exactly the bloodsucking count of legend, but this gentleman could have made an acceptable stand-in. His face, with its prominent cheekbones and defined features, was a little on the sallow side, while the dark hair was swept back from a high, intelligent brow and created the semblance of a widow's peak. Between a neatly trimmed moustache and likewise tidy goatee, his lips were compressed in an inscrutable line. Raising his cigarette, he inhaled deeply, taking his time and appearing to consider her request. A long moment later he exhaled. His eyes were a pale blue that bordered on gray and they did not blink or even waver behind the slowly drifting smoke. Cheyenne, as gallant as she tried to be, was beginning to feel a mite uncomfortable under their steady scrutiny.

"My name," the man answered simply, "is Douglas Hein."


	19. Searching High and Low

**Author's Note: **It's been over a year since I submitted the previous chapter. Lots of things can happen in that span, both in the world and my personal life. But I've never forgotten this story and vow to continue and conclude it no matter what happens.

**Disclaimer:** FF:TSW characters are (were?) property of Square Pictures. X-COM was originally registered under Microprose and remains to this day one of my favorite old-skool DOS-based PC strategy games!

**Chapter 19: Searching High and Low**

He said nothing, simply watching as the woman was dumped on the empty bed in the cell across from his own. The two men who had brought her in ignored him thus far, but on the way out one of them could not help but taunt at his expense.

"How the mighty have fallen, hey general?" he remarked, and his companion chuckled nastily.

He replied only with a scowl and the pair left, nosily slamming the door behind them. Only when their footsteps faded completely did he go to stand behind the energy barrier and gaze out at the new arrival.

The number of people who knew that Douglas Hein was still alive could be counted on one hand; the horror that was the fall of New York Barrier City was never far from him, but so long as everyone thought he had died aboard the Zeus station, then that he could at least live with.

A small groan interrupted his thoughts and he looked on as Cheyenne stirred, groggily sitting up and examining her surroundings. Hein had known about X-COM ever since their arrival; his internal contact had given him plenty of data on the squad, their advanced technology, and the aliens that they pursued. He waited now before addressing the captain and assessed her reaction.

"'Hein?'" she replied, cocking her head as her smooth brow developed a few furrows. Where had she heard that name before? "You mean, General Hein?"

The subject of the conversation took another draw on his cigarette and nodded. "The same."

"The same Hein who died in the Phantom War?"

He gave her a neutral look and answered her question with another."What have you heard?"

Cheyenne crossed her arms. "You were aboard a space station and it was destroyed. You're supposed to be dead," she said, her manner forward and direct as ever.

At the mention of his pet project, Hein took a final draw and savored the nicotine rush before dropping the butt on the floor and crushing it under his heel. "Rest assured, captain, I'm very much alive. Just how do you know about me?"

A name was spoken and a corner of his mouth lifted. "Tobias, eh? My old rival. I would inquire about your team, captain, but I'm afraid these conditions aren't exactly ideal for an interview."

She sensed that things might not have been exactly chummy between the two men and would have liked to know more but he was right. It would have to wait. "Not to change the subject, but I'd like to know just what's going on here."

"I'm as in the dark as much as you. I woke up in this cell a little over a day ago." As he spoke he absently rubbed his right forearm, which was apparently giving him some discomfort. It was a little reminder of the crash-landing in the Nevada desert, among the foothills not far from what once Las Vegas. He had barely managed to escape from the doomed Zeus station but suffered a broken arm and some other minor injuries during the landing. Discovered and watched over by Major Alton, he made a full recovery but images haunted him almost every time he tried to sleep, leaving him weary and gaunt.

So he decided to leave.

As soon as he was well enough, he fueled up a jeep, loaded it with the basic necessities and took leave of his benefactor. Luck was with him, for after days of aimless driving, he ran upon a deserted mountain house. He settled in but it still took months for him to make peace with his turbulent subconscious. It didn't take a genius to know that it was guilt. Guilt over the countless needless deaths he was ultimately responsible for. And guilt over the fact that, deep down, Aki Ross had been right all along.

Through reports that he that he heard on the radio (he eschewed television or any sort of visual communication), he knew that the general populace thought him deceased, and he took great pains to appear to remain that way. The charge of treason and the very real possibility of execution forced him to watch his every step, and so Douglas Hein lived an isolated life of self-exile and for over a year.

But someone had found out.

In the dark early morning hours, he had awoken to discover that he was not alone in his small bedroom. A pair of shadowy figures stood at the foot of the bed. Silently cursing his usually-sharp senses he swiftly groped beneath his pillow but before his fingers could even touch the grip of his loaded Sonnet there was a muted crack. A pair of needle-like electrodes pierced the bedsheet, his thin undershirt and bit into the skin of his chest, delivering a jolt that shocked him into rapid unconsciousness. Bound and blindfolded, he could only recall bits and pieces of his journey that had ended with him in the cell he now occupied.

The sound of approaching footsteps put a halt to his reminiscing. The cell block door opened and in walked the same two men who had brought the captain. They stepped aside and flanked either side of the doorway, and now a third man entered. He was of average height yet well-dressed in dark slacks and a casual jacket. His hair was light brown and cut in an immaculately clean style. Below it was a not-unhandsome face with a well-shaped nose and thin-lipped mouth that seemed suppresses a slight smile. It was his gaze, however, that was memorable. His intense dark brown eyes had the uncanny ability to both take in everything at once and scrutinize in minute detail; they were at once intelligent and utterly insane.

"I apologize for the rough nature of your procurement, captain. But we had to act quickly." His tone was smooth and urbane. Charming, even. Cheyenne found herself taking an instant dislike to the man.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her brilliant green eyes narrowing. "How do you know me? And just why the hell am I here?"

"Tsk tsk, no need for such language," he said, voice playfully reproachful but it was not hard to catch its dangerous undertone. He clasped his hands behind him, striking a pose eerily similar to that of Hein's not a few minutes ago. He took a step closer; behind him his watchful followers remained unobtrusively in the background. "I am Toryn the Founder, the heart and soul of the Cult of Spirit. Both of you should count yourselves fortunate, for you shall soon witness the birth of a new world, and the beginning of man's salvation. We were forestalled once, but this time, God's will shall be done!"

Hein snorted. "'Toryn the Founder?' Is that is what you call yourself now, Ferin?"

Nonplussed, Cheyenne blinked. "You know him?"

"Former USMF lieutenant Gaal Ferin was infected by a Phantom on a routine mission, but inexplicably beat the contagion and survived. Unfortunately, as you can see, his state of mind was...affected." Hein faced the man squarely, his scowl clearly visible even behind the shimmering red bars of his cell. "You escaped a high-security quarantined facility. How did you manage to evade capture all this time?"

Uncowed, he fastened a sardonic gaze on the general. "It's true that I was touched by the Lord's messenger, yes, but I was shown the true path. I was instructed to carry out the word God, but thanks to men like the you, and others who blindly followed, mankind was swayed from the path to true enlightenment."

Cheyenne bit her tongue. She decided for the moment to humor this madman. Maybe after his idiotic rant was over she would get some answers and be able also formulate some sort of escape, since a rescue appeared to be out of the question for now. "Okay...let me guess. You want to take over the world and all that, huh? So what's your plan, genius?"

Toryn smiled. "I forgive you your ignorance. We have been in contact with our star-born brothers almost since their arrival. With their assistance, the great purging of all sin from this world will finally become a reality. The only thing they ask for in exchange is aiding them in their return to their proper home."

It took a moment for Cheyenne to assimilate the full impact behind this statement, and at first she couldn't say a word. Then she found her voice. "You're helping the aliens? That's insane! They can't be reasoned with, or trusted! You're going to cooperate with a species who wants to eradicate the entire human race? Once they get what they wanted, the only thanks you'll get is your death!"

"I thought that would be your reaction." He pursed his lips and appeared to mull over on how to proceed. "We were denied the chance to obtain our goal...the Lord's angels that were sent to show us the righteous path were eliminated just over two years ago." Here he threw a withering glare at Hein. "He has granted us a chance for redemption even though more lost souls continue to impede us. I would ask you to reconsider, to join our crusade, captain, but X-COM has attacked our stellar brothers and has therefore proven untrustworthy."

"Before your inevitable demise, there are some things I must know." He brought a small vial out of a pocket. Faintly-glowing green fluid gently sloshed within it as he gingerly held it between his thumb and forefinger. "Within a minute of injection of this rather potent neurostimulant the subject becomes extremely susceptible to suggestion; no secrets shall be held from me. But it does have a rather unfortunate side-affect of causing uncontrollable babbling. You could very well reveal some things that are quite private and embarrassingly personal."

"I don't give a damn," the redhead snarled. "Destroying the aliens is my sworn duty. I'd sooner die than lift a finger to help you. You can go stuff it."

Toryn shrugged. "So be it." The next instant a compact weapon appeared. It was a flechette gun, a highly illegal weapon whose explosive ammunition of minuscule razor-sharp shards could easily blow off a limb. The barrel was unwaveringly trained upon her chest. "It would be a pity to waste such a wealth of information after we've gone through so much trouble to obtain it. But I have secured an alternate means of extracting answers from someone as headstrong as yourself."

The pistol vanished back into its concealed holster and he glanced at one of his men, who reached over and tugged open the door. Both Broderick and Hein began to notice a faint, unpleasant vibration in the air. They also noted that both of the other cultists were sweating despite the cool air in the cell block, and the next moment the reason was plainly evident.

Standing in the entrance was a being no larger than a child. A maroon-colored robe of an unidentifiable fabric draped from its scrawny shoulders and dragged slightly on the floor, concealing its feet. Nothing was visible within the deep shadow of its monk-like hood save two points of glowing green. A wave of nearly-palpable wave of psionic force proceeding ahead of it, the Ethereal glided into the room. It made not a sound as it stood off to one side, but seemingly watched everything taking place in the room.

Toryn beamed ecstatically. If he was affected by the creature's telepathic powers, he managed to hide it quite well. He nodded to his followers. "Brothers. Prepare the good captain for questioning. See that she is...comfortable. She'll need her strength." Spurred by the silent, malevolent presence of the alien, his followers rushed to do his bidding. As they did so, Toryn turned and gave Hein a smirk. "Don't worry, general. You're next."

* * *

"There, that should do it." Aki finished setting the _Black Boa's _auto-pilot and sat back in her seat, trying to get somewhat comfortable in her bulky flight suit. Beside her, Neil put the finishing touches on the search program. He typed in a final command and executed it with a showy flourish.

"Done and done, doc.The parameters are set...computer's standing by, all scanners are ready on your mark. So, what's the plan again?" His gray eyes grinned.

She gave him a small smile. "Weren't you paying attention during the preflight, Neil? Or were you still trying to act like Eri _wasn't_ giving you the eye?"

The tech started to splutter an excuse, but Aki held up her hand. "Anyway...we start over the central part of the country and deploy our relay drones here-" she indicated different points on a holographic map of the United States- "here, and here. They'll link up with our existing communication satellites and provide us with a vast network for real-time scanning. If we do get an anomaly we can descend to take a closer look."

Martin's voice came in over the cockpit speakers. He was sequestered down in the ship's hold, surrounded by the electronic module's complex equipment. "And I take it that the response times will be much shorter since we're not down on the surface, right?"

"Precisely. Another reason to be up here is that we can deploy our drones faster and place them more accurately from orbit, rather than launching them from the surface." She glanced out to port, trying to catch a glimpse of her escort. A mere half a kilometer away and slightly above, Atwood's matte-black Firestar held position. Aki had made a mental note on him since leaving Houston; his interceptor had maintained a consistent distance and matched the _Black Boa's _speed and course precisely. She was grateful that the young pilot suggestion to fly escort was acted upon by all present. "Tyler, have you picked up any contacts on your scanners?"

"Negative, doctor. Just the random satellite and minor space debris. If there are any aliens, they're lying low."

"Good. Let's hope they stay that way, at least until we're done." Neil muttered. If any enemies did make a guest appearance, Tyler could at least keep them off the unarmed _Boa's _back until Aki boosted away to safety. That was the plan, anyway. The Deep Eye was about to add another comment when the cockpit's com system chirped.

Aki touched a switch. "This is the _Boa. _Go ahead, control."

It was the major and she sounded quite grave indeed. "Dr. Ross, I'm afraid that we're in a bit of a situation down here..."


End file.
